Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodle Stir Fry with Beef)

Last year at this time I was in South Korea eating my weight in kimchi and bulgogi washed down with generous amounts of soju.  While you can never recreate the food to taste as good as did did in its home country (let’s be honest, half of a meal is its environment) that never stops me from trying.  The base of this stir fry is sweet potato noodles, but not the kind you make with the dreaded spiralizer (may it rest in piece). These kind are clear, stretchy and virtually tasteless on their own but do a good job of soaking up the flavor of a dish.  You can purchase them in any Asian grocery store or on Amazon as I did.  Just beware, who knew a 30 oz bag wuld be massive.

The other thing I noticed about these noodles is that they have virtually no nutritional content.  Sweet potato noodles sound healthy, right?  Nope, these are virtually pure carbohydrate.  The vitamins and minerals must have been removed with the color?  Luckily, you’ll be stir-frying them with a ridiculous amount of veggies so you’ll get your vitamins and fiber that way, but I don’t know that these would generally be my starch of choice.  My nutritional views aside, this was a beautiful dish (check out the colors!)  Don’t forget to serve it with kimchi and a round of soju.  Wihayeo!

Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodle Stir Fry with Beef)

Adapted from Paleo Cupboard

Ingredients:

•  2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound sirloin steaks, cut into 1/4″ thick slices
• 2 large carrots, julienned
• 1 cup chopped green onion
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 3 cups broccoli, chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed
• 1 cup white mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 5oz sweet potato noodles

Instructions:

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the sweet potato noodles according to package (boil for 5-7 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water while gently tossing to separate.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the yellow onion, garlic and steak and cook until browned (about 3 minutes)
3.  Add the carrots, green onion, bell pepper, mushroom and broccoli and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the spinach and an additional minute. 
4.  Add the coconut aminos, honey, fish sauce, vinegar and remaining tbsp of sesame seed oil and toss to coat.
5. Add to noodles to the skillet/wok, toss well and cook on high for 2-3 minutes.
6. Serve… with kimchi!

Serves 4

Johanna