Sweet Potato Noodles (Dangmyeon)
Korean Sweet Potato Noodles (dangmyeon, 당면) is clear dried noodles made out of purified sweet potato starch, water, and salt. Some call it glass noodles, cellophane noodles or vermicelli noodles
When you buy a package of dangmyeon, it comes in dried form with slightly brown-grayish coloring. Once you cook the noodles, they become glass-like and translucent, so it often take on the coloring of the sauces when it is mixed in the dish. Due to that fact, it is known as glass noodles by most people.
Dangmyeon don’t have much flavor on its own, so it can take the flavor of the sauce or seasoning easily when it is mixed in the dish. They are naturally fat-free and low in calories making them a healthy option for noodle lovers.
The use of Korean sweet potato noodles:
- Japche (잡채): Japchae is vibrant glass noodle dish with various vegetable, mushroom, and choice of protein (typically beef or pork). It’s the most well known and popular noodle dish in Korea.
- Andong Jjimdak (안동찜닭): It’s a slightly spicy chicken stew dish from the city called Andong in south-eastern part of Korea. The dangmyeon noodles holds the flavor of the stew gravy and makes it so desirable to enjoy.
- Sundae (순대): Sundae is a dish you can easily find in many traditional street markets in Korea. It is a type of blood sausage stuffed with cow or pig’s intestine mixed with dangmyeon noodles.
- Galbitang (갈비탕): It’s a well known Korean beef rib soup. This soup has translucent but very savory broth with glass noodles and chunks of fall-off the bone tender beef ribs.
- Gimmari (김말이): Another popular street vendor dish. Seasoned glass noodles are wrapped in a piece of seaweed sheet and coated with deep-frying batter. The the pieces are deep-fried to golden crisp and served with soy dipping sauce
