Korean Japchae

Start by heating a large pot of water. This will cook spinach as well as noodles. While water comes to boil, prepare ingredients and have everything on standby.

Once water comes to a boil, add spinach and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon and place into a bowl of very cold water. The spinach will be cooked and still retain a nice green color. Strain spinach. Once strained, push down on the spinach or give it a few good squeezes and remove as much of the water from it as possible.

You can turn off the heat on the water but keep it on the stove as you will cook noodles in a few minutes.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and give it a nice swirl. Once heated, pour in beaten eggs and swirl pan. The goal is to get a nice and thin egg. After a few minutes, once egg has set, flip and cook for about 30 seconds on the second side, making sure it is fully cooked. Slide onto a cutting board and return skillet to stove. Slice egg in half, then half again so that you have quarters. Slice into strips.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the skillet and let it come to temperature, swirling as well. Add carrots, and cook just until slightly tender. Remove and slide carrots onto the cutting board, or onto a plate.

Add the noodles to the pot of hot water, then bring up to a boil. Cook noodles at a low boil for about 8 minutes.

Add mushrooms to skillet, and cook in oil left in the skillet. Stir mushrooms so they begin to release some moisture. Cook for about 7 minutes or so until they are cooked and nicely seared. Slide onto the plate or cutting board.

Wipe out skillet, then return to the stove on medium heat. Add another teaspoon of oil. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook for about 3–4 minutes. You still want a nice crunch to the peppers, much like the carrots. Remove onto the plate or cutting board.

Return skillet to medium heat. Add remaining oil, and then add sliced duck breast. Cook breast until fat renders and breast gets slightly crisp. Remove duck and add to the other cooked items.

To a small pot, add soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for another 3–4 minutes.

Strain noodles and add to a large mixing bowl. Pour in about half of the sauce. The noodles will soak up most of it, as will the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Using your hands, add all of the ingredients and mix well from the bottom. If it needs a bit more sauce, add a bit more. Give it a taste. The taste should be sweet, savory, and really delicious. Get some of the duck with it. The smokey, almost bacon-like flavor brings this to a whole other level. Feel free to season with salt if you need a bump. When plating, feel free to sprinkle plates with sesame seeds before serving.