Japchae Naengchae

Naengchae (냉채) is a broad family of Korean cold dressed salads served at the start of a feast to cool and refresh the palate. This version builds on the flavours of japchae — using the same glass noodles and sesame dressing — but serves everything cold and raw, making it a striking no-cook dinner-party first course. Spiralized or finely julienned vegetables provide colour and crunch.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 120g (4 oz) dangmyeon (sweet potato glass noodles)
• 1 medium cucumber (200g/7 oz), julienned
• 1 medium carrot (150g/5 oz), julienned
• ½ medium daikon (150g/5 oz), julienned
• 1 red bell pepper (150g/5 oz), thinly sliced
• 100g (3½ oz) baby spinach
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
• 1 tbsp (8g) toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp (3g) gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes), optional

Dressing

• 3 tbsp (45ml) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp (30ml) sesame oil
• 1 tbsp (15ml) rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp (15g) sugar
• 1 tsp (4g) gochujang (optional, for heat)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp (4g) fresh ginger, minced

Instructions

1. Cook dangmyeon noodles in boiling water 6–7 minutes until just tender. Drain, rinse well under cold running water until completely chilled, and drain again thoroughly. If noodles are very long, cut into 15cm (6-in) lengths with scissors.
2. Whisk together all dressing ingredients until sugar dissolves. Taste — it should be a balance of salty, sweet, nutty, and tangy.
3. Toss the cold noodles in half the dressing and set aside 5 minutes to absorb.
4. Sprinkle the cucumber and daikon juliennes lightly with salt; let sit 5 minutes, then squeeze out excess moisture.
5. In a large bowl, combine noodles, cucumber, carrot, daikon, red pepper, and spinach. Pour remaining dressing over and toss gently with tongs to combine without breaking the noodles.
6. Pile high on a serving platter. Scatter spring onions, sesame seeds, and gochugaru over the top. Serve immediately while cold and crisp.

Cook's Notes: The vegetables can be julienned up to 4 hours ahead and kept refrigerated, but dress only at the moment of serving to preserve crunch. A mandoline makes short work of the julienning and produces the fine, elegant strips typical of naengchae.