Easy Chapchae/Japchae Noodles at Home

Here’s another Korean dish that you can do at home and enjoy it anytime you want.  Not only is it easy, it’s deeelish as well. 😛

You can get all the ingredients in any Korean grocery or if you’re in the Fort Bonifacio area, check out the Market Market grocery at the lower level, they have all sorts of great Asian spices and condiments you’ll need to create fantastic Asian dishes at home.

Soak about 200 grams KOREAN bean thread noodles or Chapchae noodles) in water for about 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Slice 1 onion and julienne 1 medium carrot. set aside.

Next….. slice 2 leeks and finely mince 3 cloves of garlic. Slice 5 mushrooms and set aside. I used fresh brown mushrooms this time, but you can use fresh shitake mushrooms or the dried variety as well. Please make sure to reconstitute the dried shitake shrooms in hot water. 😉

I forgot to photograph the cabbage, again! 😦 All you need to do is just slice the cabbage into strips and set it aside. Here’s the veggie platter 😀

Chapche usually calls for pork, but my son and i try to steer clear of it, so I decided to use chicken instead (250 grams). Slice them into thin strips and set aside. You can also use all sorts of seafood and even tofu for those vegetarians out there 😀

There’s my cabbage! 😛 Now here’s the tedious part. In a non-stick skillet heat some sesame oil and saute all the veggies separately and set aside. I didn’t photograph sautéing of the onions, so please remember to cook them 😛

After all the veggies are done, cook the chicken making sure to season it with salt and pepper. I really like using rock salt or kosher salt as opposed to fine table salt. I just think that the rock salt has so much more flavour! 🙂

Here’s the platter of all the cooked veggies. Yuuuum 😛

In a bowl, combine 1 Tbsp Korean dark soy sauce ( I used the local brand marca pina or you can use the coconut brand soy sauce),  1 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp sesame oil and 3-4 Tbsp sugar. Taste as you cook to see if you need more sugar or salt. Seasonings must always be adjusted to your liking. 😀

I did not take photos of the next step. My apologies again. 😦  I have a hard time multitasking with my camera. Haha. I will try my best to get better at it though.

Ok….. here we go. In a non-stick skillet, over medium heat, add the soy mixture in the pan and add the chapche noodles. Using tongs or chopsticks, swirl the noodles in the pan until it softens, becomes transparent and turns deep amber in colour. Taste the noodles to test for doneness, keeping in mind that it should be somewhat chewy. 🙂 Immediately add all the cooked veggies and chicken into the pan and stir to combine. Chapche noodles can be a bit tricky so cut them by using kitchen shears. I like to add julienned scrambled eggs on top before serving.

ENJOY!!! 😀

“Food nourishes the body as God’s Word nourishes the soul”