By Late June. My birthday approaches — twenty-seven in July. The pandemic birthday will be different from all previous birthdays: smaller, masked, the miyeokguk made in a kitchen that now smells like two years of shared cooking rather than the solitary cooking of the early years. James will make his beef noodle soup. Karen will make her lasagna (at Bellevue, on the Saturday after). The traditions persist. The context changes. The food does not care about the context.
This week I made a massive batch of japchae for the Korean adoptee meetup — the first in-person gathering since COVID, held outdoors in a park, socially distanced, everyone bringing their own food. The japchae was my contribution: a huge bowl, enough for twenty, the glass noodles glistening with sesame oil. We sat six feet apart and ate our individual portions and the distance was the pandemic but the gathering was the community and the community is stronger than the distance.
Daniel told me he is ready to search for his birth family. The pandemic, he said, clarified his priorities: "Life is short. I want to know." Daniel, who went to Korea with me, who has been walking this road beside me for four years, is finally ready to search. I told him about GOA'L, about 325Kamra, about the active search through the adoption agency. I gave him the same advice I was given: go anyway. Be terrified and go anyway. He will.
Saturday: Bellevue. Karen made her summer pasta. I brought leftover japchae. Normal Saturday, the new normal, the masked and distanced and grateful-to-be-in-person version of the Saturday that has anchored my life for four years. Karen hugged me. The hug was long. The hugs are all long now. The pandemic taught us that hugs are not infinite and the teaching made the hugs longer.
Japchae has always been my go-to when I need to feed a crowd with love — the glass noodles scale up beautifully, they travel well, and there’s something about the glistening sesame-coated tangle that feels celebratory even at socially distanced distances. For anyone who doesn’t have access to dangmyeon or the Korean pantry staples, this angel hair pasta with garden vegetables is the recipe I’d hand you instead: same soul, same generosity, same ability to feed twenty people and still feel personal. It’s what Karen’s “summer pasta” energy has always meant to me — light, abundant, made to be shared on a Saturday afternoon when you’re just grateful everyone showed up.
Angel Hair Pasta with Garden Vegetables
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 12 oz angel hair pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook angel hair pasta according to package directions (usually 3–4 minutes) until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water before draining. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not browned.
- Cook the vegetables. Add zucchini and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Add corn kernels and cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes more, until tomatoes begin to soften.
- Combine with pasta. Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with the reserved pasta water and lemon juice. Toss everything together over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until the pasta is well coated and the sauce is lightly emulsified.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Fold in fresh basil and Parmesan. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately, with extra Parmesan on the side. This dish also travels beautifully at room temperature — ideal for outdoor gatherings.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 320 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 180mg