Korean-inspired pork japchae with bok choy and shitake mushrooms
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Korea is a place I long to visit. The food is spicy and filled with delicious umami flavours. I love all of the varied banchan (side dishes) that accompany meals, the distinct flavours of sesame oil, gochujang (fermented red chili paste) and the pungent kick of kimchi.
Grocery shopping is so much fun, especially searching for ingredients to try. One of my favourite places to explore is the Korean grocery store in my neighbourhood. The owners are wonderful and knowledgeable, and their store is filled with both familiar and new-to-me ingredients.
Japchae (cellophane noodles made from sweet potato) is easy to cook and takes of the flavours of the spices and pastes as it cooks. The chewy texture is compelling and always leaves me wanting more.
For ease of eating rather than wearing, I usually cut the cooked noodles into shorter lengths with scissors before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
Korean-inspired Pork Japchae with Bok Choy and Shitake Mushrooms
Korean-inspired pork japchae with bok choy and shitake mushrooms
Servings: 6
Ingredients
454g ground pork
1 onion, diced
2 heads bok choy, chopped
2 cups shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tbs vegetable oil
I package (500g) Korean sweet potato noodles
Sauce
3 tbs gochujang
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs brown rice syrup
2 tbs tamari or soy sauce
Garnish
Chopped scallions
Sesame seeds
Instructions
Sauté onions in 1 tbs oil until translucent.
Add pork, and sauté until pork is cooked through.
Add chopped bok choy and sliced mushrooms to pan and cook for 5 minutes, until tender.
Mix sauce ingredients together in a bowl and stir into the pork and vegetables.
Cook noodles according to package instructions and combine with pork and vegetables.
Serve in a bowl with a garnish of chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
