Spicy Korean-style noodles with shrimp (japchae)

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Korean flavors, and anything to which I can apply gochujang, the funky, spicy, fermented chili paste. The star of this dish is the glass noodles, which are naturally gluten free because they are made of sweet potato starch. Beautifully clear, they soak up the sauce like stained glass. They have a satisfyingly chewy texture. Traditionally served with beef, I make this with shrimp for our pescatarian lifestyle. Tofu could be used instead. It's delicious hot, or can be served cold. It reheats well, too.

Shrimp and marinade ingredients
~10 oz shrimp

1/4 cup soy sauce
1.5 T white sugar
1 T toasted sesame oil

1 T white vinegar
2 T gochujang Korean pepper paste (optional--the traditional way is to serve this on the side, but I love it all mixed in.) You can buy it at a well-stocked Asian grocery store or Amazon.

1 T garlic, minced
1 t ginger
generous pinch of black pepper

Spicy Korean-style noodles

8 oz Korean glass noodles (sweet potato starch noodles)
2 T neutral oil, divided
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper or zucchini, sliced

8 oz sliced mushrooms
6 oz fresh baby spinach

Garnish

Sliced green onions

Combine the shrimp and marinade ingredients. Let it marinate while prepping and cooking the veggies. 

Cook the sweet potato noodles according to package directions in a large pot of boiling water. (Mine take about 5-7 minutes.) Transfer the noodles to a strainer, and rinse with cold water until chilled. Strain out any extra water and set aside. Cut the noodles with scissors if they are really long.

In a large skillet with 1 T oil, saute onion until beginning to brown. Add bell pepper or zucchini and mushrooms and cook until warmed through and slightly softened. Remove and set aside.

Saute shrimp, reserving marinade on the side. Once mostly cooked, remove and set aside. 

Add 1 T oil to the saute pan, plus noodles. Pour reserved marinade over noodles and cook for a couple of minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Wilt in spinach and stir in reserved veggies and shrimp. Cook for another couple of minutes until heated through. Garnish with sliced green onions. Makes 5 main dish servings.