Trader Joe's Japchae Made Better | Review
Right: Trader Joe’s Japchae after we adjusted it with sugar and soy sauce.
Product: Trader Joe’s Japchae - Korean Sweet Potato Glass Noodles & Vegetable Stir Fry
Price: $2.99
Review: It’s not good as is. It lacks flavor and it’s evident by the translucent color of the noodles (it should be darker from the soy sauce)— it doesn’t taste like anything. While it doesn’t taste great (and I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re going to eat it as is), it actually serves as a good japchae base and has a lot of potential to taste good. See the recipe below to learn how to make it better.
The only thing that I really didn’t like was that these noodles are excessively oily. I wanted to adjust it with some sesame oil in the recipe below, but I wasn’t able to because it would have otherwise drowned the japchae in a bath of oils.
How to Make it Better: Cook as is (over stovetop, not microwave) and add in some sugar soy sauce, and black pepper. Recipe is below, as adjusted by my mother who makes arguably the best japchae (click here if you want to make japchae from scratch).
Trader Joe's Japchae Made Better
Ingredients
- Trader Joe's Japchae
- 2 tsp Soy Sauce (We use regular Kikkoman)
- 1/2 tsp + a pinch sugar
- Black pepper
- Optional: Sesame seeds, roasted
Instructions
- Thaw Trader Joe's Japchae and cook according to stovetop instructions.
- Once cooked, remove from heat and immediately add in 2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp + a pinch of sugar, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly with chopsticks until noodles form a darker color.
- It will initially taste a bit salty (as this is normal for japchae), but the flavors will fuse together in just a couple minutes. Garnish with sesame seeds and immediately serve.