Funchoza – Delicious Cellophane Noodle Salad (Фунчоза)

This Funchoza Salad has been in our family for a couple generations. It combines glass noodles with sautéed vegetables and strips of beef (optional) and is seasoned with soy sauce and spices. The result is an amazing, satisfying Asian salad that can be served warm or cold.

What is Funchoza?

Funchoza is a salad that is made with glass (cellophane) noodles, strips of beef, daikon, carrots, and peppers and served either cold or warm. I grew up eating this dish. Some people who tried this dish, didn’t really like it at first (don’t know why, really, it is seriously awesome). However, if they try it again, they usually start to love it (happens all the time). My mom makes it for church potlucks a lot. And it gets requested all the time (although some of those people were the ones who didn’t like it originally 😉)

Where is Funchoza Salad from?

Sometimes it is thought that Funchoza salad is a Korean dish, but quite a few sources online point to the Uighur people as being the original creators of this dish. Back in Kazakhstan, where I was born, there were quite a few Uighur people living there. In fact, one of my childhood playmates was an Uighur girl. So it is not surprising that this dish became a part of our Russian kitchen.

Please note that some of the links on this page might be affiliate links. View my Privacy Policy for details.

What is Funchoza made from (Ingredients)?

Here are the ingredients for the salad. The only “exotic” ingredient here really is daikon.

Daikon – is a long, winter radish that grows primarily in southeast Asia. The taste can be strong (like radishes), but often times it also has a bit of a sweetness to it. We’ve been using this vegetable for decades in our family and it tastes awesome in this salad. If you want to learn more about it, visit the 9 Surprising Benefits of Daikon page from Organic Facts for more detailed and interesting information on this vegetable.

Carrots – Just regular carrots.

Peppers – red and green are in the original recipe, but yellow can be used as well. I recommend having at least two different colored ones because it makes the salad look super nice.

Cellophane Noodles – also known as glass noodles or thread noodles. These are very thin noodles made (usually) with bean starch. Here in Germany they are widely available as most grocery stores do an “Asian week” regularly (where they sell Asian products). In the US, it should also be available in grocery stores, Asian specialty stores, and online.

Eggs – eggs are used to make crepes which are then sliced very thinly and tossed in the salad.

Beef – (optional) Original Funchoza Salad has fried strips of beef in it.

Spices & Seasonings – Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and soy sauce.

Is Funchoza gluten free?

Yes, the cellophane noodles used in this recipe are gluten free. All other ingredients are vegetables and meat.

How to Prepare Funchoza Step-by-Step

Preparing the Ingredients

Peel the daikon and carrots using a vegetable peeler. Using a mandoline slicer, slice them very thinly into spaghetti type pieces. You can also julienne them thinly using a sharp knife. Set both aside.

Thinly slice the bell peppers. You can see I have used green (and red, not pictured) here and the color is so vibrant. I have also used yellow and red at times (whatever is on hand). Set aside.

Egg Crepes

Crack the eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat together with a fork. Add oil and beat some more until well-incorporated.

Heat up a small skillet and add some oil. Once it’s hot, fry the crepes by adding a bit of the egg into the skillet and swirling it around. Make them as thin as you can. Set aside and let the crepes cool.

Cooking the Cellophane Noodles

Heat up some water in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and throw in the noodles. Using kitchen scissors, cut the noodles in several places while they are still in the water. Don’t be afraid to cut them smaller as the noodles are very long and will be almost impossible to eat if you leave them that way.

Follow package instructions for cooking times, but the noodles only need maximum 10 minutes in hot water to be done. If you decide to keep the water boiling, it would take 3-4 minutes for them to be done.

Use a sieve to drain the noodles and transfer to a big glass bowl which you will use for making the Funchoza.

Sautéing the Ingredients

Heat up a large skillet on the stove. Add some oil to it and make sure it is hot. Sauté the diakon, carrots, and peppers one after the other, adding oil before sautéing the next vegetable. The vegetables should become tender, but not mushy.

After each vegetable is sautéed, transfer it to the bowl with the noodles. I like to mix in each new vegetable I add to the bowl with the items already in the bowl. This is especially good for the first vegetable as the oil mixes with the noodles and they don’t stick together.

How to cut the egg crepes for Funchoza

Place the egg crepes on a cutting board and cut in half. Then place one stack of the halves on the top of the other stack so that you end up with one big stack of crepe halves.

Roll up the crepes into a roll and slice thinly. Add the sliced eggs into the salad.

Mix well all the ingredients in the bowl. Add soy sauce, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. The amount for cayenne pepper will give you a not too spicy salad. If you want your salad to be more spicy, add more cayenne a little bit at a time, mixing well after each addition. I would just caution you to take a taste of the salad before adding each addition as it can get quite spicy.

Serve Funchoza with a slice of crusty bread. It’s a meal in an of itself. And it’s so good that I always have to get seconds!

How to make Funchoza with Beef

We make this salad a lot with just the vegetables, however the original version is made with beef (also very delicious). You just need to cut the beef into thin strips (like the rest of the ingredients), sprinkle with salt and pepper and fry in oil as the other items. Just make sure you are using a good cut of beef (e.g. Flank Steak) so that the meat ends up tender.

Tips for making Funchoza Salad

1. When sautéing the vegetables, use a large skillet as it makes it easier to sauté the long pieces. Better to use a large one instead of trying to contain the pieces in a smaller one.
2. Make sure you don’t overcook the cellophane noodles, as they can become mushy fast.
3. Use your hands to mix the salad together. It is the easiest way to mix this salad. You can also use two forks or kitchen tongs, but hands work the best here. Just make sure to wash them before that 😁 (or wear gloves).

Lastly, if you make this Funchoza – Cellophane Noodle Salad (Фунчоза), make sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating here! I’d love to hear back from you and will do my best to answer and respond to every comment. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you make this recipe. I’d love to see the photos of the recipes you have made!

Check out my other unique and tasty salads like this Easy Conehead Cabbage Salad with Pistachios or this Korean Spiced Carrot Salad.