Pounds o' Pasta

Not all pasta is Italian. The Koreans make chap chae: translucent yam noodles tossed with vegetables and meat, seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil and a little sugar. Assi Super, a large market in Koreatown, sells chap chae by the pound in the deli department. It's addictively good, stocked with plenty of shiitake and wood ear mushrooms, broccoli, red bell pepper, carrot, spinach and bits of beef. Reheat in a wok or in the microwave.

Chap chae, $2.99 a pound at Assi Super, 3525 W. 8th St., Los Angeles. (213) 388-0900.