Asian Glass Noodle Salad

It amazes me how some people can throw a huge dinner party and make it seem like it was a cakewalk. That is exactly what my cousin did. She had a house warming party, and cooked enough food for 40 people. We were only a party of 20, but not only was everyone stuffed, but there was enough food for everyone's dinner the next night.

It was undoubtedly impressive. When I asked her how long it took to prepare everything, she coolly said a few hours. Everyone was stunned. We officially declared her super mom.

She prepared everything from chicken to pork to beef to seafood. One dish I particularly liked was a cold Asian glass noodle salad. It was inspired by Korean japchae, which is a dish consisting of sesame oil, dangmyeon, and veggies.

Dangmyeon is a clear noodle made of sweet potato starch. It has a similar taste to Asian rice noodle, but I find it is less starchier. Dangmyeon can be found in the noodle section of most Asian grocery stores.

Here is my rendition of my cousin's Asian glass noodle salad. This recipe yields 6-10 servings.

Asian Glass Noodle Salad
- 500g of Dangmyeon (cellophane noodles made with sweet potato starch)
- 2 medium carrots, cut into match sticks
- 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 4 cups of bean sprouts
- 4 cups of napa cabbage, roughly chopped
- 10 dried shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced into long pieces
- 1 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/8 tsp of sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Sauce for Noodles
- 1/4 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp of mushroom flavored dark soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp of soy sauce
- 1 tsp of sesame oil

Method
1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms for at least 2 hours in lukewarm water. Wring the water out of the mushrooms, and slice them thinly (approx 1/8 inch thick). Set aside.

2. Stir fry the veggies. Start by heating the garlic, on high heat, with the olive oil for approx 30 seconds. Add in the scallions, carrots, celery, shiitake mushrooms, 1/4 tsp of the sugar, and 1 Tbsp of oyster sauce and continue to stir fry for about 4-5 minutes. Add in the napa cabbage, bean sprouts, and the rest of the oyster sauce, and stir fry for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the dangmyeon noodles for 7-10 minutes. Drain the water, and rinse the noodles in cold water. Set aside.

4. Create the sauce for noodles. Combine the vinegar, sugar, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl and mix until the sugar dissolves. In a large serving bowl, combine the noodles with the sauce and ensure that it is evenly distributed. Add in the stir fried veggies, fresh cilantro, and toasted sesame seeds. Mix well and serve.

This dish can be served warm or cold. You can also add meat to your stir fry, but I'm trying to eat less meat these days.

I'm heading to San Diego next week. After that, I'll be back in Ottawa for a few days, and then I'm off to Sydney, Australia....woo hah! Can't wait to see my darling husband! It's been way too long.

To make sure you aren't too lonely, I'll be posting some of my overdue San Diego posts next week. Tah for now.