Chapchae (Noodles with Beef and Mixed Vegetables)

Chapchae is the most popular noodle dish in Korea. Adding a little cornstarch helps the marinade adhere to the beef mixture so that a little beef goes a long way. To make this easier to stir together and serve, snip the noodles after they've softened.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Ingredients

• Beef:
• 1  teaspoon  cornstarch
• 8  ounces  eye of round steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2  teaspoons  sambal oelek or Thai chile paste
• 1/2  teaspoon  dark sesame oil
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• Cooking spray
• 
  Noodles:
• 1  (3.75-ounce) package uncooked bean threads (cellophane noodles)
• 
  Vegetables:
• 1  teaspoon  dark sesame oil
• 1  teaspoon  vegetable oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 5  garlic cloves, minced
• 3  cups  sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 6 ounces mushrooms)
• 1  cup  (2-inch) diagonally sliced green onions
• 1  cup  (2-inch) 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 seeds, toasted

Preparation

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

372 (26% from fat)

Fat:

10.9g (sat 2.2g,mono 4g,poly 3.6g)

Protein:

26.1g

Carbohydrate:

41.3g

Fiber:

5g

Cholesterol:

51mg

Iron:

5.5mg

Sodium:

1020mg

Calcium:

102mg