Korean Chopche

**From the Utah State University International Cookbook**

1 pound 'long rice'(or bean thread) or Chinese noodles
1/2 to 1 pound lean beef, sliced thin into 1 1/2-inch strips
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
dash pepper
2 carrots, cut in matchstick-size strips
1 green pepper, cut in 1/2 -inch squares
5 green onions, chopped
1 bunch spinach, washed and boiled 3 minutes, and drained
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 can pears, sliced
cooking oil as needed

Mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar and pepper and pour over sliced beef. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Place long rice in boiling water, turn off heat. Allow to stand until tender, about 10 minutes. Rinse in cold water, and drain. Heat wok or skillet, add some cooking oil, and fry the meat until it begins to brown, stirring constantly. Remove from pan, set aside. Add more oil to wok and add carrots and peppers, frying about 3 minutes. Then add green onions and mushrooms, frying about 2 minutes. Add well-drained spinach and meat. Mix together well. Stir in marinade from meat, adding more soy sauce if desired. Just before serving, stir in drained long rice until well mixed. Then carefully stir in pears until combined. Serves 4 to 6.

Banana's Notes

I make some notable changes to this recipe. First, I used 4 cloves garlic, instead of just one. I stir-fried the vegetables about double the time this recipe suggests. I didn't boil the spinach, I just added it to the pan and cooked about 3 minutes. I also used double the marinade. (Noj likes lots of sauce.) Usually, I substitute honey for any sugar, and yesterday I used a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon, but it was great! Make sure you cut up the noodles before adding them to the pan, otherwise you will have HUGE sections of noodle that doesn't come apart. Lastly, I usually use fresh pears. Just peel, dice and cook them about five minutes to soften.