By popular request

Dear husband wants me to share my dish for Korean Stir Fry.

A young man I know is from South Korea and was really missing home cooked Korean meals like his mom used to make. He brought me a recipe and asked if I could help him prepare it. It was so delicious I brought a copy of the recipe home to try in my own kitchen. It was a hit, Jon even asked to have it again, soon! And that's sayin' something!

So here by request is "chap ch'ae" (and no, I can't actually pronounce it correctly, in fact I was laughed at when I tried to repeat its pronunciation.... hence the name change to Korean Stir Fry).

On another note- my salsa turned out wonderful! I highly recommend adding Frank's Hot Sauce to it for a different heat profile. Yum yum!

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friend. Cheers!

Korean Stir Fry (chap ch'ae)
Serves 4

5 dried black mushrooms (shitaki mushrooms may be substituted)
4 TBS soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
4 teaspoons toasted, sesame seeds
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces or steak sliced thin
1 package cellophane noodles
6 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into medium strips
1 cup bean sprouts
½ cup fresh spinach, chopped
5 teaspoons sesame oil


If using dried black mushrooms, put them into a small bowl and pour hot water over them. Soak for 20 minutes or until soft.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 TBS soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, garlic, 2 tsp sesame seeds, and chicken. Set aside.

Prepare noodles according to package directions.

Prepare chicken and vegetables:

In a large frying pan or wok, heat 1 TBS vegetable oil over high heat for 1 minute.

Add chicken mixture and fry, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes or until chicken is white and tender. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to noodles.

Wipe wok out with paper towels.

Heat 1 TBS vegetable oil over high heat for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute or until soft.

Repeat with remaining vegetables, cooking each one separately. (It is not necessary to wash and dry the pan between vegetables.)

Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds and 5 teaspoons sesame oil to noodle mixture and mix well. (Do not do this step in the wok or the sugar will burn and the dish will taste like burnt sugar, that's not yummy!

Serve warm or at room temperature.