Chapchae (Noodles With Beef and Mixed Vegetables)

Chef #329119's Note:

From cookinglight. Chapchae is a Korean noodle dish. I think you can substitute the steak with other meats or seafood--it's mostly to add a little meaty flavor. * I use the sweet potato noodles for more authenticity in place of the bean thread noodles (I boil them for 5 minutes then rinse with cold water thoroughly). It takes a while to make this but it's really authentic and flavorful.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 7.0 cups

Beef

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 8 ounces beef eye round, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons sambal oelek or 2 teaspoons thai chili paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• cooking spray

Noodles

• 1 (3 3/4 ounce) package uncooked bean threads (cellophane noodles)

Vegetables

• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 6 ounces mushrooms)
• 1 cup diagonally sliced green onion
• 1 cup julienne-cut carrot
• 1 (10 ounce) bag fresh spinach

Remaining ingredients

• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed, toasted

Directions:

1. To prepare beef, sprinkle cornstarch over beef; toss to combine. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and next 4 ingredients (1 tablespoon soy sauce through 3 garlic cloves); toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture; stir-fry 3 minutes or until done. Remove mixture from pan. Cover and keep warm.
3. To prepare noodles, pour boiling water over noodles; let stand 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain. Snip noodles several times with kitchen shears.
4. To prepare vegetables, wipe skillet or wok clean with paper towels. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil and vegetable oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add red pepper and 5 garlic cloves; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, onions, and carrot; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add half of spinach; stir-fry 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Add remaining spinach; stir-fry 2 minutes or until spinach wilts.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add beef mixture and noodles to pan, stirring well to combine. Combine 1/3 cup soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over noodle mixture; stir well to combine. Cook over medium-low heat 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Reviews

[monmamoni]

Loved it! The flavor was perfect. I prefer using ground meat (beef or pork) for this.

[currybunny]

This was a really outstanding recipe which I can't wait to make again! I changed a few ingredients - I'd highly recommend using kochujang (Korean chilli paste), kochugaru (Korean red pepper powder) and most importantly the sweet potato starch noodles which are synonymous with japchae or chapchae and have quite a different texture to bean thread noodles. The result was great flavour and texture and a really addictive eat - thanks for posting!

[Mika G.]

I was just going to post this recipe when I saw it here. I got it from a Korean cooking class my adoption (my daughter was adopted from Korea) agency had. It is wonderful. I usually either make my own bulgoki for the meat or for a faster dinner use pre-made from my local Korean market. The sauce is the best and my Exchange student from Korea said it tasted just like her mom's! P.S. The carrot and green onion should read 1 cup of each.