These past few days, I needed to cook healthy. Not for me, but for the sake of my children. You see, last week, I had Lasik eye surgery. As any reasonable mother would do, I milked it as far as I could go in terms of slacking on my housewifery duties. Laundry? bah..eyes too dry. Ironing? doc said no heavy lifting. Dishes? need to lay down to put in drops every 2 hours. Vacuuming? nope…can’t see squat after squirting in drops. Best to just sleep in every morning and let Scott handle the kids. It took 3 days before the kids confessed me what they’ve been eating for breakfast….
Breakfast of Champions Temper Tantrums
- 1 Double Fudge Pop-Tart
- A slice of white bread
- Water
Now. Let’s review, shall we? No. let’s not. You already know where I’m going with this. But then again, what was I thinking? I love my dear husband so very very much, but I certainly didn’t choose him for his eating habits. I mean, this the guy that tops his Fritos with canned chili, spray-on cheese and calls it dinner, considers microwave butter popcorn a vegetable and hides a stash of chocolate breakfast bars at office and another in the front seat of his car so that he doesn’t have to share with the kids. Naturally, I took over the role as 
Frau Nutrition in our household and nudged my kids to embrace all sorts of vegetables - even brussels sprouts and salad. Now, don’t get me wrong, we eat our share of junk as evidenced by: 
Negative Calorie Chocolate Cake 
Chocolate & Dark Rum Tiramisu but I always make sure that we balance it out with healthy stuff too. All became undone those fateful mornings that I relinquished my morning duties. Despite the kitchen being stocked with soy milk, milk, juice, oatmeal, yogurt, whole-wheat bagels, eggs and fruit, those items were left untouched. Do you even know how many bushels of vegetables my kids have to eat to make up for 3 mornings of Pop Tarts, white bread and water?!? Where did those Pop Tarts come from in the first place?!? Does my husband have a contraband stash? (sigh) Just dig me a grave, boys.
;-) We took a little vacation this weekend to Marco Island - thanks to my sister-in-law who works for Marriott (now, that’s what I call RWB - relative with benefits) who got us a room overlooking the beach. It was a perfect mini-getaway. Thank you, R&M! *** On to the recipe for healthy Korean noodles with tons of vegetables, Jap Chae (or Chap Chae). The noodles are made from sweet potato starch, but taste NOTHING like sweet potatoes. They are light in texture and color, making it a great flavor carrier for any type of vegetables and seasonings.
Korean Glass Noodles - Jap Chae
This dish can also be spelled: Jab Chae, Chap Chae. The type of noodles used in this dish is made from sweet potato starch and translucent when cooked, which is how they got their English name, “glass noodles.” They are also gluten free and are wonderfully springy and light. I love making this dish in the summertime, because you can serve these noodles at room temperature or even slightly chilled.
You can find them at Asian markets or online at Komart. 
Just boil the dried noodles for 5 minutes, drain and toss with sesame oil so that they don’t stick together:
You can use any type of fresh mushrooms, like shitake or even the standard button mushroom, but traditionally, dried wood ear mushrooms, found in most Asian markets, are used. Just rehydrate the dried wood ear mushrooms in warm water for 15 minutes, drain and they’ll be ready for your stir-fry. The spinach was shy - didn’t want to jump in the group shot.
Stir fry the carrots and onions until softened, oh…about 1 minute…but it really depends on how thin you slice your onions and carrots:
Add garlic, scallions and mushrooms. Fry 30 seconds:
Then add spinach, noodles, soy sauce, sugar, fry 2-3 minutes until noodles are heated through. Turn off heat, toss with sesame seeds and remaining 1 1/2 tsp of sesame oil:
Jap Chae Korean Glass Noodles
1/2 pound dried Korean sweet potato noodles
2 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon cooking oil
3/4 cup thinly sliced onions
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 stalks scallions, cut into 1″ lengths
1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced (shitake, wood ear)
1/2 lb spinach, washed well and drained
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Fill a large pot with water and boil. When water is boiling, add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again and toss with only 1 tsp of the sesame oil. Use kitchen shears to cut noodles into shorter pieces, about 8 inches in length. Set aside.
In bowl, mix soy sauce & sugar together. Add the cooking oil in a wok or large saute pan on high heat and swirl to coat. When the cooking oil is hot but not smoking. Fry onions and carrots, until just softened, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, scallions and mushrooms, fry 30 seconds. Then add the spinach, soy sauce, sugar and the noodles. Fry 2-3 minutes until the noodles are cooked through. Turn off heat, toss with sesame seeds and the remaining 1 1/2 tsp of sesame oil.
*rehydrate your mushrooms if you are using dried
***
If you’re not into the whole healthy vegetable thing, then you’ll love:
Garlic Scallion Noodles
September 24th, 2007 at 1:49 am
Glass noodles.. yummyy.. havent seen them around here
September 24th, 2007 at 1:54 am
Haha you’re such a great mom. Thanks for this recipe! I’ve been needing new healthy recipes to try. I was getting tired of my thai green curry w/ reduced fat coconut milk. I know
“reduced fat coconut milk,” right? It’s like an oxymoron!
September 24th, 2007 at 1:59 am
hope you’ll be able to get the “boys” back on the nutrition track soon (I know you will)…ooh, that reminds me, I have a recipe for this too, should give it a try soon.
September 24th, 2007 at 2:31 am
Hmm…. may be I should go get me a Lasik too
.
Glass noodles are my all time favorite. I have to try this recipe. Will let you know how it turned out soon ;).
September 24th, 2007 at 2:35 am
Oh that is gorgeous, and is negative calorie cake really junk?
September 24th, 2007 at 3:03 am
Glass noodle is so yummy. My mom cooks this chinese dish called “ants climbing up the tree” with glass noodle. (http://www.eatingchina.com/recipes/ants-climbing.htm) I will try your recipe this week. Yum~~~~
September 24th, 2007 at 3:34 am
Korean sweet potato glass noodles! hehe - that’s a mouthful! I’ll definitely have to look out for them! Mmmm…and all those veggies. Your boys will have to eat a ton of sweet stuff to compensate for that super healthy meal
September 24th, 2007 at 5:07 am
Glass Noodles!!!
So vibrant and Incredible dish!!!
Wish I could taste some
September 24th, 2007 at 5:41 am
This sounds so good! I can smell the tempting flavours on the new smell-o-cam you installed.
When my daughter was small she used to love it when I had to go to work. She loved the special recipe my husband would make for her. It is called ‘tinned beans and two spoons’. The secret recipe is to open a tin of baked beans (do not warm up) and eat them from the tin with two spoons. She really thought this was some big treat! Doesn’t that just kill you off?
I’m going to go look now at ‘ants climbing up the tree’. Asian dishes have such cool names.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:47 am
Yum, looks like a dish I make at home Yum Woon Sen. I use glass noodles, ground pork, chili paste in soy bean sauce, lime and lots of thai chili peppers!
September 24th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Oooh! This is definitely a popular item on the menu of Korean restaurants here…your homemade one looks phenomenal!
September 24th, 2007 at 8:56 am
I have always loved those noodles, and I tend to just eat them with a little sesame oil and some chopped up scallions. However, I suppose I could be convinced to add a few more things.
September 24th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Oh yum, I would gladly have this for breakfast, this looks delicious. But where’s the beef?! You gotta have some protein to complete the nutritional balance - right?
September 24th, 2007 at 9:33 am
What is it with husbands and food? LOL! Big slabs of meat is what my husband eats and very selective selection of veggies & fruit.
September 24th, 2007 at 10:06 am
My mother-in-law’s favorite dish. Better write this down…
September 24th, 2007 at 11:55 am
hehehe… I have a pack of that in my cupboard and was just thinking about the same thing as you do… make a Korean glass noodle dish and post about it
September 24th, 2007 at 11:59 am
Now Jap Chae with Negative Chocolate Cake for dessert sounds like the perfect meal! Glad your eye surgery went well, and that you’re once again back in charge of family nutrition!
September 24th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
I need some healthy noodles here too. Send them over Jaden.
September 24th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Glass noodles. I absolutely adore them, yet I’ve never made them why? Rather embarrassingly, I must ask, how do you get your carrots in such perfect shred?
September 24th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
I loooove jap chae. I never realized how simple it is to make. Marked for the future!
September 24th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Radish- I use this:
http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=218140
This is my favorite $6 tool. Take a carrot, stick a fork on the fat end to anchor it down. Use tool to shred the carrot to create perfect julienned strips.
September 24th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Wait … you make your kids drink soy milk?? My ex does the same with my kids. Then, when they get here for visits, they’ll go through a two gallons of 2% by the first nightfall. That’s my fault, and they like it that way!
Here’s a question (meaning you have to go back to replying to me in these comments for once
) … When cooking Asian dishes, when would someone like myself know when to use a “standard” soy sauce vs. a black soy sauce or some of the others? I have two bottles of the Healthy Boy black soy sauce and even use it on omelets on occasion.
September 24th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
That is just too funny. I guess everyone took a little bit of advantage of the situation!
September 24th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
What a funny story…I cringe when my mom buys things like pop tarts for my daughter…I know growing up we weren’t allowed to touch sugar except on Sundays! These noodles look awesome, so colorful and beautiful just to look at. A really amazing recipe!
September 24th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
love jap chae, its one of my most favorite dishes my mom, who’s korean, would make for special occasions. you’re version is total vegetarian but you can add thinly sliced beef that you marinate in a bit of soy sauce, salt, and pepper. mashiso! that korean for tastes good!
September 24th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Any suggestions for places to find the noodles themselves?
September 24th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Feeding kids–been there, done that, too! Results–2 healthy adults
September 24th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
oo.. healthy and yummy. Yummy is always good but healthy is a bonus. ;p This dish is so colourful as well. A pretty dish.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Lovely! This is a winner!
September 24th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
That looks good, nice and colourful. It sounds both healthy and tasty.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Your style of writing is so charming! I love it! And the recipes are fantastic. This one sounds delicious, too. I might even get my husband to eat veggies if I can follow along! Your pictures are also so delicious looking.
September 24th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Looks delicious. I’ve had wide glass noodles in a pad thai mixture at a few eateries and I found that they didn’t hold the flavor of a sauce very well. However, this is easily remedied with dipping sauce served on the side
September 24th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
What would I not give for that bowl right now!! I make soemthing similar with rice noodles….. korean noodles, have to try them out. They look too cute to leave them aside!
September 25th, 2007 at 1:30 am
YUM! The noodles look delicious, Jaden! And what a steamy story… I have to say, I can relate to your husband. When I watch my nieces and nephews… I think: this one meal is not going to determine their nutritional well-being or stunt their growth. Even though it is complete crap and they haven’t had anything green but mint chip ice cream all weekend. Feeding them what they want means they are not going to complain (though it sounds like your kids like veggies - amazing! and flavor - even more amazing!) so, what harm is there? My job is to be the fun Aunt that let’s them stay up late. Lovin’ your cuisine and lovin’ you!
September 25th, 2007 at 6:15 am
As much as I love good food, I have an equal love for junk.
White bread, toasted with lots of butter, sugar and cinnamon, smores pop tarts, cheetos…. yep, I’m gonna die early…. just as much from that as from eating too much Jap Chae then drinking copious amounts of barley tea until my stomach explodes.
September 25th, 2007 at 6:48 am
I simply love this dish. The Korean restaurants here charge about RM20 (USD6) for one portion. Sidenote, did they ever bury you in that sandhole (but of course, I’m sure they dug you out and brought you home after that seeing that you’ll still cooking away!).
September 25th, 2007 at 9:27 am
These noodles look too good to healthy Jaden. Glad you had some vacation time. Well deserved I imagine with your busy schedule!
September 25th, 2007 at 9:35 am
I had this dish once in a Korean home and enjoyed it very much.I was seeing this type of noodles for the first time then. Your recipe reminded me of that experience.Thanks Jaden.
I have plans to make this soon
September 25th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Coincidence: Just ate some today made by a Singaporean friend — nice! She put in some fermented soya curd which enhanced the taste.
September 25th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Personally, I consider Pop-Tarts to be a separate food group.
Seriously, though, excellent recipe–and pretty! I always loved the way glass noodles looked.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
I would like to try those noodles as I have not!
Sounds like a wonderful getaway for your family
September 25th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Glass noodles are among my absolute favourite things to eat and my pantry is always stocked with it.
September 25th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Looks like there are a lot of us out here who LOVE glass noodles! Yum.
Here’s the funny thing… you’re like the best mom EVER, but your boys will always remember “sneaking” Pop Tarts with Dad. Isn’t that just the way it goes?!
September 26th, 2007 at 2:17 am
My bf’s little sis loves these noodles!
Good tip about cutting them. Never thought of that, no wonder noodles are always hitting me in the face while I slurped. Lol.
September 26th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Okay.. I’m at work and I keep getting interrupted (DAMMIT) so after 10 tries I still - hold plz.. phone. (DAMMIT) Anyhoo, I still haven’t read your whole post. I see I’m not going to be able to do it until I get home tonight - but I still wanted to quickly - hold.. (M*TH^RF#!*$) TOQUICKLYTELLYOU that your dishes always blow me away with their gorgeous colors!!!!! Simply stunning - whatever it is!!
xoxo
September 26th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I love me some chop chae, but I don’t get out to eat it as often as I’d like.
AND NOW I DON’T HAVE TO!!!!!!!!
*wicked laugh*
ps- I was reading quickly, and for some reason mis-read the last recipe as “Girly Scallion Noodles.”
September 26th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
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September 26th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
this dish just looks gorgeous. all those colours. i think it will be a winner at home, especially with my little girl. great recipe, as usual. thanks for sharing.
September 26th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
That’s some serious Jap Chae. The thin julienne on the carrots contrasting with the noodles really make for a visual feast for the eyes.
For the record, I do like to be whipped with a wet noodle.
September 26th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
I love japchae, it’s my MUST order dish it everytime we go out for korean
Reading this reminds me that I have a packet of glass noodles sitting in the pantry that I should use up before it expires. Thanks for the hint!
ps. I bet your kids loved the pop tarts, I know I used to!
September 28th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
this may be a dumb question… but how do you get the carrots so appealingly slivered?
September 28th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Tanya- I have an Oxo julienne tool - About $6. You can get it from cooking.com, amazon.com and I just saw it at Target today. Lay carrot flat on cutting board, stick a fork on one end of the carrot, and use your nifty tool across the carrot.
September 29th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Oh boy! I made this dish tonight and it was fantastic! I needed a protein, so I added 1/2 lb of browned, ground pork and some jumbo shrimp to the mix. Then, I sprinkled some ground peanuts on top and added a few drops of chili oil. My whole family gobbled it up. Thanks for the inspiration!
October 13th, 2007 at 4:14 am
It’s a fantastic healthy recipe! It’s the first time Iread your blog and I love it! Bye from Italy! p.
October 13th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Ohh fab, gluten-free noodles - promptly emailed this to my friend who’s stuck with a bunch of new-found and unfortunate allergies, she’ll love it!
I love your letters to the supermarket boys… You wonder if they’ve been raised in a cave by bears sometimes. (No, scratch that, they would’ve seen plenty more fresh squirming seafood if they had been…)
November 4th, 2007 at 11:04 am
That looks spectacular! I’ve been making the same recipe for years (w and w/o beef), except my noodles never turn out as perfect! I’ll follow your exact steps and timing next time.
Jap chae and galbi are my absolute Korean favorites!
November 27th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Hi,
I went shopping to gear up to make this tonight; unfortunately, I couldn’t find glass noodles at Whole Foods. Do you know if any major chains sell them, or if there’s a good substitute?
This is one of my favorite dishes to eat out– I was so disappointed.
November 27th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Hmmm. How amazing. I just reread and noted the online source. Sorry to bother you!
November 30th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Whew! Got it! Well, got rice noodles anyway, and decided they’d have to be good enough– and they were, it came out fabulous… and the leftovers were good at work, too.
Thanks for the help (and the recipe).
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:40 am
awesome recipe…easy to follow…im half korean and wouldve taken me forever to get this from my mom….thanks for also adding pics too!…this was one of my favorite dishes growing up, funny how i didnt kow how to make it myself…..i will learn how to make kim chee next
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:33 am
I belong to an International food group where once a month we get together and cook foods from a different country. Last night we did Korean so I made your Jap Chae as well as some bulgogi and WOW was it good. Thanks for the great recipe!
June 30th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
This is totally what I was looking for. Yum-o!
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I just made these glass noodles - I’ve never used them before and they were delicious! These aren’t a cookbook contestant?
The noodles were a tough find at my asian market but I was able to find them by searching all of the ingredient lists for potato starch! I used bok choy instead of spinach, honey instead of sugar and added some snap peas, chili pepper, and shrimp to mine. While I was digging in realized that I forgot to add the sesame oil to the noodles - they were sticky without it. Next time I’ll follow the directions more closely. This was a great “use up what’s in your fridge” dish!