Vegan Jap Chae Recipe

This recipe is slightly different from the version I found online. I added a few extra ingredients (celery, white mushrooms, red pepper) and substituted the beef strips for tofu to make it 100% vegan.

• Rice vermicelli noodles — 1/2 pound
• Sesame oil — 2 tablespoons
• Tofu, thinly sliced — 1/4 pound
• Red pepper, thinly sliced — 1
• Onion, thinly sliced — 1
• Carrot, peeled and grated — 1
• Shiitakes, stems removed and thinly sliced — 3
• White mushrooms, sliced — 4-5
• Garlic, minced — 2-3 cloves
• Spinach — 8 ounces, or about 1/2 bunch
• Celery — 1 stalk
• Scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces or thinly sliced — 2-3
• Soy sauce — 2-3 tablespoons
• Sugar — 2 teaspoons
• Salt and pepper — to taste
• Sesame seeds, toasted — 1 tablespoon

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium flame. Add the tofu and sauté about 3-4 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Add a little more oil to the wok or pan if necessary and toss in the onion, carrot, celery and red pepper. Sauté until the onion is just translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté 2-3 minutes more. Finally add the spinach and scallions and sauté until the spinach is just wilted.
4. Add the drained noodles, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper to the sauté pan and cook, stirring, to heat through. Adjust seasoning.
5. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the toasted sesame seeds.

Makes 4 servings