Chap Chae

I consider Chap Chae as the first “risky” dish that I prepared since I started cooking last year.  Risky because (a) Asian noodle dishes, for me, are generally difficult to prepare with its many (and oftentimes, hard to find) ingredients, and (b) the method / steps are meticulous and I’m afraid that missing a simple step will ruin the dish altogether.

But when I saw this recipe at Yummy Magazine (my ever reliable magazine-cookbook) for a Korean noodle dish called Chap Chae, and found that the ingredients can easily be bought from the supermarket,  I knew that I should give it a try.   It’s been a while since I last made an Asian noodle dish (remember the Five Spice Pork Noodles?) and I was ready to try another one.

The result?   See for yourself   =)

Chap Chae was amazingly good and could go well with a hot pandesal (perfect as an afternoon merienda or snack).  I was so happy it turned out well, with AJ and my parents loving every serving of it.

Now to make your own Chap Chae, you will only need:

• 250g mung bean noodles, soaked in warm water for about 10 minutes
• 1/2 cup light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (you can add more, if you want)
• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 1 onion, sliced lengthwise
• 1 package (about 2 cups) fresh button or oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 100g to 150g tenderloin beef, sliced thinly
• 1 carrot, julienned
• a handful of spinach leaves (kangkong can be a substitute

Step 1:  Soak the mung bean noodles (or sotanghon as substitute) in warm water for 10 minutes.

Step 2:  Drain soaked noodles.  In a pot, cook noodles in boiling water until tender, about 2 minutes, and drain.  Rinse in cold water until cool.

Step 3:  In a bowl, combine light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and garlic.  Mix until sugar is dissolved.   You may want to adjust the taste of the sauce mixture depending on your preference.

Step 4:  Heat corn oil in a wok or saute pan (I used my Saladmaster sauce pan actually).  Saute onions, add mushrooms, and cook until slightly tender.

Step 5:  Add beef slices.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in carrots and spinach leaves.

Step 6:  Add sauce mixture to the pan, then stir in the noodles.  Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving plate, and serve.

If you are into Korean dishes then this is definitely a must-try.   By the way, you can have this hot or cold (perfect as a midnight snack too!)

(This recipe is from Yummy Books: Asian at Home – a compilation of recipes from around the Asian Region.  It’s available at all National Bookstore outlets for only P125.00)