Bulgogi Japchae (Korean noodle dish, paleo, AIP)

Author: Julie Hunter

Recipe type: Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol, Vegan-modifiable

Cuisine: Korean

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 4-5

One of my favorite Korean dishes...and pretty naturally paleo/AIP! Fully modifiable with whatever veggies/proteins are on hand. Traditionally each element is cooked separately (to preserve colors/flavors), but it won't alter the final that much if you cook elements together to save time (the only one I suggest doing separately is the spinach/watercress because of the water content).

Ingredients

1 pound of pre-cooked bulgogi or Korean bbq meat (omit for V)
½ bag sweet potato/japchae noodles (~4 oz)
4 carrots
8 shiitake mushrooms (fresh or dried; if dried, soak/rehydrate before cooking)
1 medium-large onion
6 cloves of garlic
1 tb minced ginger
1 bunch of spinach or watercress
3 scallions/green onions
1 tb coconut aminos
1 tsp sea salt
1 tb lime/lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
5-6 tb avocado oil
1 tb coconut sugar (optional)
2 tsps sesame oil (optional, omit for AIP)

Instructions

Add japchae noodles to a big pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook for ~10 minutes, until noodles are tender. Drain and set aside.
Clean, chop, and cook spinach/watercress in a tb of oil, or blanch and put in ice bath to maintain green color.
Slice onion, garlic, scallions, mushrooms, and carrots in long, lengthwise pieces (or julienne them using a mandolin). Sauté veggies (start with mushrooms to brown, then carrots because they take longer) in a couple tablespoons of oil with minced ginger until carrots are softened.
Mix cooked vegetables with watercress and noodles in a big bowl. Season with aminos/sea salt, acid, and a couple more tbs of oil. Finish with chopped scallions.

Recipe by J.S. Hunter Fiction at https://jshunterfiction.com/bulgogi-japchae/