Hello! It’s Eric Kim, reporting for duty and filling in for Mia Leimkuhler this week. How are we doing today?
They say you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, so here’s my pitch for a television show: It’s called “You’ve Been Sheet-Panned!” Each episode starts with a contestant’s cherished family recipe or specialty. Then, like a Cyrusian wrecking ball, I come in to sheet-pan it! A panel of judges decides whether or not the sheet pan improved the heirloom dish or made it worse.
In other words: Just because we can sheet-pan something, does that necessarily mean we should?
In the case of japchae, the Korean glass noodle dish (above), I’ve found that, yes, you can and absolutely should! Not least because producing a traditional japchae at home requires a lot of labor: Each vegetable, among a rainbowed array, is ordinarily stir-fried individually. In this variation, however, the spinach, bell pepper and mushrooms all roast together on the same sheet pan in color-blocked sections for ease and deliciousness (and to preserve each distinct flavor). The vegetables caramelize in an oven with much less effort than in a skillet, and then need only to be tossed with the noodles and sauce, making japchae a dish within reach for any night of the week.
Featured Recipe
Sheet-Pan Japchae
If sheet-panning a dish can help you incorporate it more regularly into your life, then that’s a win in my book. This japchae recipe has improved my day to day immensely, and I know it’ll do the same for you.
