Japchae is a popular Korean dish often served at celebrations, gatherings, and street food stalls. It centers on sweet potato glass noodles, which are naturally translucent and slightly chewy. Traditionally, it includes meat and egg, but this vegan version from Yang Liu and Katharina Pinczolits’ cookbook Vegan Asian Street Food keeps the structure while using plant-based ingredients. It still delivers the same mix of textures and flavors that make japchae a great dish.

The noodles absorb the sauce and take on the flavor of the vegetables during cooking. Soy sauce and sesame oil give the dish its base, while garlic and pepper add depth. Smoked tofu replaces the usual meat, bringing a firm texture and a subtle richness. A mix of mushrooms, spinach, carrot, and peppers adds color and variety, making the dish feel filling but moreish.

You can serve japchae warm or cold, which makes it useful for different meals. It works as a main or a side and fits into lunch, dinner, or shared plates. It also keeps well, so you can prepare it ahead and serve it later without losing quality.

This recipe is republished by Vegan Asian Street Food: Over 80 Plant-based Recipes for Every Occasion by Yang Liu and Katharina Pinczolits £24, hardback, Hardie Grant Books, published 22 January 2026. Photography © Katharina Pinczolits

Japchae method

This japchae is a vegan version of the Korean glass noodle dish, combining vegetables, tofu, and a savory sauce for a light but satisfying meal.

Vegan Japchae (Stir-Fried Glass Noodles) with smoked tofu and veggies

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Duration25

Cook Time10

Prep Time15

Servings

Ingredients

60 g spinach leaves
1 teaspoon salt
100 g dried sweet potato noodles
60 ml soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
60 ml canola rapeseed oil
150 g smoked tofu thinly sliced
6 shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
5 g dried black fungus (wood ear mushrooms), soaked for 15 minutes, then drained and sliced
60 g onion thinly sliced
60 g leek white part only, julienned
60 g carrots julienned
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 capsicum bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the spinach for 15 seconds. Reserving the water, drain the spinach and mix with half a teaspoon of the salt.
Add the sweet potato noodles to the reserved water in the pan and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave noodles to soak in the hot water for 5 minutes. Drain the water, return noodles to the pan and mix with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil and the sugar.
Heat a wok over medium–high heat and, once hot, add the canola oil and smoked tofu and pan-fry for a little until slightly brown on both sides. Push the smoked tofu aside, add shiitake mushroom and dried black fungus and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add onion, leek and carrot and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until the ingredients are cooked. Add garlic and capsicum and stir for another minute, then add the noodles, white pepper and remaining salt, soy sauce and sesame oil, and stir for 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, mix everything well and serve.

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