Chap Chae

After we got home from our trip, I was tired and jet lagged. I didn't have the energy to do a lot of grocery shopping either. Thankfully Jim hit Trader Joe's before he picked me up from the airport and got essentials like coffee and pizza fixin's. Plus we had a few things in the freezer that held us over until the end of the week until my day off on Friday.

I went to El Grande off Backlick Road in Springfield to stock up on some fresh veggies and to snag a few ingredients I needed for a beef rendang recipe I wanted to try. Just inside the front of the store to the left is a small food court connected by a little area filled with fresh Korean foods like kimchee and various panchan dishes. After looking through all the choices nothing appealed until I spied a package of Chapchae (also spelled japchae). I could smell the seasoning through the package and almost drooled. It was full of cellophane noodles, wood ear mushrooms, watercress, carrots, bean sprouts, red pepper and onion as well as lots of sesame seeds. This would would be a nice dinner once I added some cooked meat.

And it was so easy to serve! I sliced some chicken and cooked it in a skillet until done then tossed in the chapchae noodles and veggies, added a sprinkle of soy sauce and sesame seeds and dinner was served. The flavors were very good, especially for a packaged precooked meal. I'll be sure to look for this item again when we need a quick and easy meal for the week.