Japchae

Cut the beef into thin strips across the grain and marinate with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 minced garlic clove and a pinch of black pepper. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes while you prep the vegetables.

Cook the glass noodles in a large pot of salted water for 6-8 minutes until soft and translucent, drain, rinse with cold water, cut into 15-20 cm lengths with scissors, and toss with 1 tbsp sesame oil to prevent sticking.

Cut the carrot and onion into thin strips, the scallions into 3-4 cm pieces, and slice the shiitake mushrooms thinly.

Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 30-40 seconds, drain, rinse with cold water, squeeze out excess moisture, and season with a pinch of salt and 0.5 tbsp sesame oil.

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet and stir-fry the carrot, onion, shiitake mushrooms and scallions separately, 2-3 minutes each, seasoning each batch with salt and transferring the cooked vegetables to a separate bowl - this way each vegetable keeps its color and crunch.

In the same skillet, stir-fry the beef with the remaining garlic in 1 tbsp vegetable oil for 3-4 minutes until cooked through.

Make the sauce: mix 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp sugar and 1.5 tbsp sesame oil until the sugar dissolves.

In a large bowl, combine the noodles, stir-fried vegetables, beef and spinach, pour over the sauce and toss thoroughly by hand or with two spatulas so every ingredient is evenly coated.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve warm or at room temperature.