I thought we should start the week nice and easy with one of the tasty and courful recipes from The Big Book of Noodles (Kyle Books, 2011) by Vatcharin Bhumichitr, a Thai chef.

The book offers 100 dishes from China, Japan and Southeast Asia.

I chose a Korean dish, Chapchae, transparent noodles with chicken and mixed vegetables as an introduction to this tome.

Korea C h a p c h a e Noodles with Chicken and Mixed Vegetables Recipe:

This dish can be served with spicy pickled vegetables and is a Korean specialty made by pickling vegetables and their leaves and herbs in brine. The taste varies depending on where in Korea it is made and what the maker prefers—from hot and spicy to sweet or sour, there is an infinite variety.

Serves 4

For the marinade:

2 teaspoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice wine or pale dry sherry

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 scallion, finely sliced

Plus:

1 pound skinless chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 dried Chinese black (shiitake) mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained, stems discarded, and thinly sliced

2 small carrots, cut into thin sticks

1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin sticks

1 medium onion, cut into thin sticks

1 zucchini, cut into thin sticks

2 1/4 ounces transparent noodles, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, rinsed under cold water, and drained

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed, to garnish

Preparation:

1 Place all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly, then add the chicken slices, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2 Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok and stir-fry the vegetables, one at a time, over high heat until they are tender but still crisp, then set aside.

3 Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in the wok and stir-fry the noodles—turning them so they heat evenly—until they are tender, then turn them into a warmed serving bowl.

4 Return the vegetables to the pan, add the chicken, and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through. Place the chicken and vegetables on top of the noodles, sprinkle with the toasted sesame seed, and serve.

(* Recipe reproduced by permission of Kyle Books USA, Photo by Will Heap...)