Japchae

Slice the beef crosswise a rough quarter inch thick, then those slices into quarter inch strips; longer and thinner pieces blend in with the noodles.

Cut the stem end off the mushroom cluster, add to the beef with the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and minced garlic, stir and marinate 15 to 20 minutes.

Put a large pot of water on the stove and slowly bring it to a boil.

Halve the onion and slice it longitudinally. Cut the scallion greens into two inch planks and the whites smaller so they cook as fast.

Cut the bell pepper into planks, remove the watery bitter pith and slice into a clean julienne. Peel the carrot and cut it into uniform matchsticks. Cut the stems off the shiitakes and slice thinly.

Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce and rice vinegar together for the japchae sauce.

Crack and separate two egg yolks from their whites.

Heat a 12-inch nonstick pan over medium-high with a squeezer of olive oil, add the marinated beef and mushrooms and fry two to three minutes until the mushrooms lose their water and the beef browns. Move to a large bowl to cool.

Wipe the sugary soy sauce out of the pan so it cannot burn, add a little oil, then the onions, scallions and a light pinch of salt, and cook three to four minutes over medium to medium high. This is a hot sweat, not a caramelization; keep them softened but still snappy.

Add no more than a tablespoon of oil, then the carrots, bell peppers and a light pinch of salt.

After the first two minutes add a couple tablespoons of water; the steam transfers heat better than more fat and keeps the veg from going limp or taking on too much colour. Cook about three minutes to softened but still snappy, the vegetable version of al dente.

Add a bit more oil, the shiitakes and a pinch of salt; after two minutes add a squeezer of water, since shiitakes are dry and go leathery when fried too long. Cook until just kissed with browning and about half their original size.

In a dry pan over medium heat, pour the two egg yolks into the middle and spread them into a thin layer. This is jidan.

Once the yolk is mostly set on the first side, flip it and set the back for five to 10 seconds only, or it turns brittle. Cut in half, stack and cut into strips.

Blanch the large leaf spinach in the salted boiling water for 30 seconds until wilted, then drain on a paper towel.

Cook 225 g of sweet potato noodles in the same water six to seven minutes and taste them; the bag's 13 minutes gives mushy noodles. They should be chewy, firm and bouncy, not crunchy or raw.

Drain, cut the noodles down with scissors to a max of eight inches, about three cuts, and spray with cold water to take the heat out and stop them sticking.

Fry the noodles in a touch of oil over medium high for two to three minutes to sizzle off excess moisture; skipping this step gives soggy, bland results.

Squeeze as much water as possible out of the blanched spinach between folded paper towels.

Add half the sauce to the noodles in the pan and toss; the noodles absorb more sauce this way. Once the sauce is reduced and the noodles are golden brown, move them to the large bowl.

Top with a generous dose of toasted sesame seeds, four to five dozen cracks of black pepper and the second half of the sauce, then fold everything together with tongs and taste.

Plate it piled high and top with more black pepper and another shake of toasted sesame seeds.