April 2, 2010

Stir Fried Korean Noodles/ChapJae

Recently I've noticed in my neighborhood there are quite a few Korean restaurants serving authentic Korean cuisine. Seems to me it is getting quite popular, not sure if it is after the popular TV drama, Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace). It is a period drama of a palace maid who became the palace chef and later becoming the first female royal physician of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea.
Anyway, this dish is sometimes serves as an accompaniment with your main course. ChapJae is a transparent noodle cook with meat, vegetables and a piquant sauce of garlic, soy sauce and sesame seed oil. The noodles are made of potato starch and mung bean so it tends to absorbs the other flavors of the other ingredients. The noodle can be easily purchase in Asian or Korean supermarkets. This is my version I've added other ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 packet sweet potato noodles (use only half)
¼ lb chicken, beef, pork, or prawn (optional)
2 shallots, sliced thinly
5 pips garlic, chopped finely
1/2 lb. baby bok choy, cut in strips
1 bag baby spinach (optional)
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and julienned
1 bunch scallions, chopped finely
8-10 dried shiitake mushrooms, presoaked and sliced thinly
3-4 pieces cloud ear fungus, presoaked and sliced thinly
1 cup firm tofu, cut in thin strips
cilantro for garnishing
Seasoning:
3 Tbsps. vegetable oil
3 Tbsps. sesame seed oil
3 Tbsps. light soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp. tsp. honey
2 Tbsps. sesame seed
salt and pepper
Method:
1. Squeeze out most of the water from the mushrooms and cut into fine strips. Do the same with the cloud ear fungus.


2. Wash and cut vegetables in 2" lengths and julienned bamboo shoots. 
3. In a large pot put enough water to boil over high heat. Cook half of the noodles according to the package instructions. The noodles should be soft and transparent when cooked. Rince in cold water a couple of times. Set aside.
4. In a small skillet, add some 1 tablespoon of oil and brown tofu on both sides. Keep aside.
5. In a large skillet or pot heat oil over medium heat and fry shallots and garlic till soft for about 2-5 minutes. Add in mushrooms and cloud ear fungus and fry for 10 minutes, adding about 2 tablespoon of warm water to let it simmer for another minute.
6. Add the rest of the mushroom, clood ears, tofu, vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove from heat.
7. Mix sesame seed oil, soy sauce, and honey together. Season to taste. In another smaller saucepan, simmer the seasoning sauce on low. Add a little more salt or sugar if needed. Remove from heat.
8. To serve: Reheat noodles simply by running noodles in warm water and drain as it tends to stick together. Toss noodles into a larger serving bowl. Using a pair of kitchen scissor, cut noodles to shorten the length. Add in the vegetables followed by the seasonings. Using two spoons toss noodle and vegetables to mix. Season well to taste.
9. Toss in sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro. I love mine with Sriracha hot sauce.

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