ChapaChe

 Why talk about Korean food? Like many new people to this country finding the right things too eat is sometimes very difficult. You can easily go to the convenience store and get a good bento but sometimes you want more. Today I`ll introduce some easy to make foods.

What is ChapuChe? （チャプチェ）

Chapuche is a popular Korean dish (spelled Japchae) with stir fried glass noodles, assorted vegetables, meat, soy sauce and sesame oil. It`s quite delicious and easy to make. From the above picture from right to left we have 

Chapuche　　　　チャプチェ

Salty Yuzu Chapuche　 ゆず塩チャプチェ

Burukogi　　　ブルコギ

Bibinba 　　　ビビンバ

To make it all you need to do is buy the package, get some extra ingredients and a frypan.

First the meat:

The instructions say to get 薄切り　or　Usugiri うすぎり　thin sliced meat. The one above is Komagiri or こまぎい　which is essentially the same thing. Check the packages for the size of the meat needed in grams.

Next the vegetables:

For the Chapuche it says to use Green peppers, or ピーマン. The Salty Yuzu Chapuche has the same instructions, while the Bibinba and the Burukogi say to use garlic and the Burukogi says to mix in rice and onions. You are welcome to add anything you want to it. I usually add mushrooms and sliced carrots to give it some more volume. 

Side note:

For the Chapuche it comes with the rice noodles (Harusame, はるさめ needed to make it so you don`t have to get anything else. However if you want some you can choose what you like to add to the mix.

Cooking:

Just follow the instructions on the back of the package. Fry up the oil and meat on a medium heat. Add some water, the two packages included in the pack, and let it cook for about 3 - 4 minutes. If you want to include carrots now is a good time along with your green peppers and mushrooms. Let it cook until the noodles and carrots are soft and your done. The most important thing to remember is to make sure the meat is cooked well enough.

To eat serve with rice, salad, or anything else you want to eat with it. The package usually makes enough for 2 or 3 people so it`s perfect for a family. Now I`ve never made the Bibinba or the Burukogi but I want to try. My usual supermarket doesn`t have them. Just remember to get the right ingredients on the back and don`t be afraid to experiment.

Photos by me.