Vegetarian chapchae (Korean glass noodles)

I was craving sweet noodles and decided to make chapchae at my mom’s house tonight. I stopped by Fresh World after work to buy the ingredients. (Fresh World is a great international/ethnic market along Wiehle in Reston; vegetables are fresh and inexpensive though not organic. I go there when I crave Asian Food. Otherwise I still like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s for everything else.) 

Chapchae, or japchae, a Korean noodle staple

Anyway tonight it was chapchae for dinner, sweet Korean glass noodles that are a snap to make. I added a lot of vegetables to make it more subtantial and two eggs for some protein. 

Ingredients:

3/4 pound dried Korean glass (sweet potato) noodles
3 tsps sesame oil (I tend to add more because I love sesame oil)
toasted sesame seeds as much as you like 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 big carrot, sliced thinly
4 large cloves garlic minced
a bundle of green onions, ends trimmed and sliced crosswise
2 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
(I like shiitake but tradionally, “tenga ng daga” (wood ear)
a bundle of spinach, washed well, drained
a bundle of Chinese broccoli, roughly cut
2 eggs, scrambles and thinly sliced
5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
5 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
Thai chili paste or red pepper flakes to taste

My nephew Martin eating chapchae straight from the wok

Boil noodles in a large pot for four to five minutes. Drain, rinse, cut into shorter pieces and toss with sesame oil. Set aside.

Blend soy sauce & sugar and water together. Set aside.

This portion is done very fast. In a wok over high heat, saute onions and garlic in oil about 30 seconds. Add carrots, green onions and mushrooms and saute for 30 seconds. Add broccoli and noodles and our soy sauce-sugar mixture. Fry 2-3 minutes until the noodles are cooked through. Toss with sliced eggs and sesame seeds, then drizzle with a tad more more sesame oil. For some spice, toss with Thai chili paste or sprinkle pepper flakes.

My nephews Martin and Miggy like chapchae a lot. So do I.