Chop Che (Korean Clear Noodle Dish)
I acquired this recipe during graduate school from a native Korean friend. It gets rave reviews in my family! This recipe was presented to me as a salad/side dish, but I generally prepare it as a main dish. The sweet potato noodles are called Dang Myun in Korean.
I acquired this recipe during graduate school from a native Korean friend. It gets rave reviews in my family! This recipe was presented to me as a salad/side dish, but I generally prepare it as a main dish. The sweet potato noodles are called Dang Myun in Korean.
- 1 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- 1 tbsp green onion
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp garlic
- 6 oz. clear sweet potato noodles
- 1/2 oz. lean beef sliced into long thin strips
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 6 shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 bunch spinach
- 1 tbsp roasted sesame seed
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- vegetable oil to taste
- Carbohydrate 20.0788100261447 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.74650250102832 g
- Fiber 5.34857502490236 g
- Protein 7.19415751283739 g
- Saturated Fat 0.260654250133904 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (330g)
- Sodium 939.739251800425 mg
- Sugar 14.7302350012423 g
- Trans Fat 0.313837000477214 g
- Calories 107 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare a marinade by combining the green onion, garlic, black pepper, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce.
- Place the beef into the marinade and marinate for as long as desired.
- Boil noodles according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water.
- Set noodles aside.
- Blanch the spinach in boiling water, then immediately rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly, squeezing any excess water out.
- Heat a little vegetable oil in a fry pan and stir fry the carrots, onion and mushrooms, adding a little salt while cooking.
- Place the stir fried veggies into a mixing bowl.
- Cook the beef in the fry pan and then place into the mixing bowl.
- Next, stir fry the noodles briefly, and place in the mixing bowl.
- Now, add all remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl, mix well, and enjoy!
Sweet potato starch noodles demand precise hydration control because dehydrated strands absorb ambient moisture unpredictably, meaning older packages require up to three extra minutes in boiling water to achieve the necessary translucent yield. Skeptics often watch this dish turn into a gummy mass, but the failure stems from skipping the cold water rinse, which halts residual starch gelatinization immediately after the heat source is removed. When boiling the noodles, maintain a rolling boil at 212 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure even starch expansion without outer layer disintegration.
Fresh vegetables behave fundamentally differently under high heat than preserved or aged produce sitting in the crisper drawer for a week. Fresh carrots and onions release cellular water rapidly during the stir-fry phase, whereas limp older vegetables absorb oil instead of shedding moisture, leaving the final mixture greasy rather than glossy. Slicing the beef into uniform strips measuring precisely one-eighth inch thick ensures the protein cooks within ninety seconds, preventing the toughness that ruins the mouthfeel.
Preserving the distinct texture of each component requires cooking every element in a strict sequence rather than dumping them together into a single pan. Spinach retains its cellular integrity only if blanched for exactly thirty seconds before undergoing an immediate ice bath to lock in the bright chlorophyll pigment. If the spinach is squeezed too aggressively, it compacts into dense green clumps; if left un-drained, excess water dilutes the soy and sesame seasoning balance.
Tossing the ingredients together while the noodles remain slightly warm allows the starch molecules to absorb the remaining soy sauce and sugar mixture without breaking down chemically. Sesame oil degrades quickly when exposed to direct heat, so it must be added raw at the very end of assembly rather than used as a cooking medium. Stored covered in the refrigerator for up to twenty-four hours, the noodles firm up noticeably, though gentle reheating on the stovetop restores flexibility without requiring additional liquid.
