Sweet Potato Noodles

Always in search of gluten free options outside of the usual suspects, I came upon these sweet potato noodles (Korean name: Dangmyeon) at Hmart. A member of the glass/cellophane noodle family, these noodles change the water to a Gandalf’s beard shade of gray but taste great. Other starches glass noodles can be made from include mung bean, cassava and yam.

Gandalf’s Beard – Done in just 15 minutes!

Sweet Potato Noodles or Gandalf’s Beard – Separated at Birth?

The dangmyeon noodles are often used in a dish called Japchae, where Jap means “mixed” and “Chae” means stirred [Source]. In other words a dish with mixed vegetables. It’s often cooked with sesame oil, sugar and sesame seeds. We were out of all three of those so we improvised a recipe with happy results. Total cook time roughly 20 minutes. Makes 4 servings or so.

Korean Sweet Potato Noodles with Soy Orange Ginger Sauce (vegan, gluten free) AKA Gandalf’s Beard

1 packet noodles
1 cup broccoli, chopped
½ carrot, chopped
½ bell pepper
½ onion chopped
2oz cashews

Sauce:
3 T tamari
1.5 T ginger
4 Cloves garlic
1 t vinegar
3/4 cup orange juice
Sriracha to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method:

Bring pot of water to a boil in a pan. In the meantime, create sauce described above. Once water is boiling, turn it off. Break sweet potato noodles in half and place in pan. Cover with lid for 10 minutes. Remember to drain after 10 minutes otherwise these can get mushy quickly.

Sweet Potato Noodle Veggies

In a wok, add oil to a pan and turn to medium. Now throw in onions. Allow a few minutes to cook. Next, add in all veggies+cashews and half the sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes depending on what texture you desire. When veggies are cooked, toss with noodles and serve. Add remaining sauce as needed. Serve hot or cold.

Sweet Potato Noodles with Veggies. Bad picture but great tasting.

On a side note, I’m really excited to catch the Hobbit which opens on December 14th!