I've been trying to cut back on the wheat and rice foods, but I'm having the most intense cravings for jjajangmyun, a Korean dish that is probably not the healthiest thing on the menu. Part of the joy of eating this dish is the sauce, and part of the joy is slurping the large noodles. I decided if I had to choose one part to make the dish as true as possible, it was the sauce. I omitted the potatoes that you usually find in the dish and replaced the noodles with zucchini "noodles". You can also try this with the shiritaki noodles (practically low carb) made from yam. I would check the ingredients list on the jar of jjajang paste you buy and try to find one that has the least amount and simple list of ingredients. Also, some pastes come with higher salt content than others, so keep that in mind.
Paleo-ish Jjajangmyun
20 min, Serves 3
2 zucchini, juliened (or shiritaki noodles)
1 cup pork belly, cubed
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup onion, cubed
1 cup Korean radish or daikon, cubed
2 tablespoon of Korean blackbean paste (jjajang paste)
1 teaspoon sweet rice powder
2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup cucumber, juliened
black pepper
1. To make the zucchini noodles, juliene the zucchini as long as possible with a mandolin. Heat the frying pan to medium high and add a touch of olive oil. Stir fry the zucchini pieces until they start to get tender and remove from heat. The residual heat should cook the zucchini further, so you don't want to overcook them in the frying pan or they will get too limp. Remove any water that might have accumulated from the cooked zucchini.
2. In a clean frying pan, add pork belly and fry until cooked through. Remove the pork and leave any oil behind. Add the onion, and radish and cook until onion is translucent. Add the pork back into the frying pan and stir together.
3. Move the vegetables and pork in the pan to form a hole in the center. Add the jjajang paste and stir fry for a few minutes. Mix the sweet rice powder with the chicken broth and add to the vegetables and pork. Allow to simmer together with the lid closed until the ingredients are fully cooked. Taste the sauce, if its too salty, add more water or a touch of sugar if needed.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and add sesame oil, more to taste. Stir the sauce into the zucchini noodles and sprinkle with the cucumber for garnish and flavor.
You can find the jjajangmyun recipe that inspired me to make this version from here: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/jjajangmyun
