Growing up, there were
occasions when my non-Korean friends would come over for dinner and Mom would insist that we serve Korean food. I
whined. I fought. And finally, when Mom said we were having Korean food or nothing, I sulked, certain that I'd lose my
friends forever.
But I didn't, because my Mom was wise and chose to keep the kimchee in the refrigerator, and serve bulgogi, galbee (removed from the bone to make it easier to eat), and jahp-chae, a Korean dish of transparent noodles sauteed with meat, vegetables and the basic Korean seasoning of soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil. Jahp-chae is an accessible taste for non-Koreans because it's very similar to many Chinese stir-fried noodle dishes. The dish is served family-style alongside steamed rice, other dishes and bahn-chan.
The noodles, by themselves called "dahng-myun," are transparent because they are made from sweet potato starch. These days, however, more Koreans are making jahp-chae with any form of transparent, or "glass," noodles. The dish can be made vegetarian by leaving out the meat, and even vegan by leaving out any eggs. The vegetables that Mom always used were spinach, mushrooms, carrots, red bell peppers, onions, and green onions.
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