Masterchef

Inspired by Korea and New York, MasterChef winner Diana Chan creates a stir-fry that unites noodles, veg and beef for a fast and tasty dinner.

Korea and New York collide.

NOODLES ARE ONE of my favourite ingredients. They’re just so versatile: you can fry them, have them in soups, toss them through salads, or even steam them, like you would have at yum cha. Here, I’ve used them to create a quick and easy stir-fry that’s perfect as a midweek dinner.

Japchae is a Korean dish, and its name means ‘mixture of vegetables’ – which describes both the dish and the method in which it’s prepared. To create japchae, glass noodles made from sweet potato starch are stir-fried in sesame oil with beef and thinly sliced vegetables, then seasoned with soy sauce and a touch of sugar.

I stumbled on the dish years ago in Korea Town in New York, at a (now defunct) place called Kristalbelli. I remember how tasty it was, and it was one of the first things I cooked when I got back home. It was served as a side dish then, but here I’ve made it into a main. You’ll notice that I use the same wok to cook all elements of this dish. I’m all about no-fuss cooking; the less pots and pans used, the better. I hope you enjoy my rendition of japchae, and that it becomes part of your weeknight dinner roster.

JAPCHAE WITH TERIYAKI BEEF SERVES 2

1/ 3 cup (80ml) light soy sauce 2 tbs mirin 1 tbs sesame oil

1/ 2 tsp ground white pepper 250g porterhouse steak, thinly sliced 200g sweet potato glass noodles (from Asian food shops) 1/ 2 cup (125ml) sunflower oil 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 red capsicum, cut into wedges,

seeds removed 100g shiitake mushrooms, halved 1 carrot, shredded 100g baby spinach leaves Toasted white sesame seeds and

baby shiso leaves, to serve

Combine soy, mirin, sesame oil, pepper and beef in a bowl. Marinate for 5 minutes. Remove steak. Set it and marinade aside.

Meanwhile, cook glass noodles according to packet instructions, then drain and rinse under cold water until cool.

Heat 2 tbs sunflower oil in a wok over high heat. Add egg, swirling to coat wok. Cook for 3 minutes or until just set. Transfer to a chopping board, roll and thickly slice.

Return wok to high heat. Add steak and 2 tbs sunflower oil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until rare. Add marinade. Cook for 1 minute until reduced slightly. Transfer to a bowl. Return cleaned wok to high heat with remaining 2 tbs sunflower oil. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until softened. Add capsicum, mushroom and carrot, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until softened. Add spinach, noodles and steak mixture. Stir until heated through.

Transfer to serving bowls. Top with omelette and garlic, and sprinkle over sesame and shiso to serve.