Japchae is a popular Korean dish that's made for the holidays. It is usually made with sweet potato glass noodles, but I decided to do a low-carb, keto-friendly version using spaghetti squash, which I feel has the right tough of sweetness and a noodle-like texture that will lend itself well to the traditional recipe. I didn't cut corners in following the other elements of the recipe. It is quite labour-intensive as you have to cook each of the elements separately before combining it, and it does make a difference (as opposed to stir-frying them up all together at once). Cooking them separately allows each to be cooked to just the right consistency and texture, while maintaining their individual flavours as well, so that the end product is a perfect marriage of all of them together. A perfect theme for the coming together of family for special holidays!
Keto Korean Spaghetti Squash Japchae Recipe
Meat Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Sukrin Gold or Lakanto Golden Sweetener
Spinach Dressing:
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Mushroom and Spaghetti Squash Marinade:
- ¼ cup tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 teaspoons keto maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons Sukrin Gold or Lakanto Golden Sweetener
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Main Japchae Ingredients:
- 4oz beef sirloin or flank (or pork shoulder)
- 1 large egg
- 4 oz spinach, washed and drained
- 1 spaghetti squash, roasted and cooled, noodles removed and set aside
- ⅓ cup yellow onion, sliced thinly
- 4 to 5 white or shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
- ½ cup orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- ½ cup red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- [Flaky sea salt (like Maldon or Fleur de sel and freshly ground freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Avocado oil (as needed)
Directions:
Sprinkle the meat with salt and put back in the fridge to rest the night before cooking. Whisk together all the meat marinade ingredients. Cut the meat into ¼ inch wide and 2½ inch long strips then add the sliced meat strips to the marinade and make sure it all gets coated. Cover and store in the fridge to marinate the meat for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours before cooking.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mushroom and spaghetti squash marinade ingredients. Put the sliced mushroom into a small mixing bowl and add 1 tablespoon of mushroom and spaghetti squash marinade. Mix well and set aside until ready to use. (*It should only rest in the marinade about 20 minutes or so while you prepare everything else. If you expect it to take longer, do this step closer to cooking time.)
Now make the egg garnish. Crack the egg and separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Heat a frying pan to low with ½ teaspoon wok sesame oil or avocado oil. Pour the egg white mixture and cook both sides, around 1-2 mins,. Transfer it onto a clean cutting board and set aside. Remove the white stringy stuff from the yolk. Beat in a pinch of salt with a fork. Add another ½ teaspoon of avocado oil to the pan. Pour the egg yolk mixture and cook both sides on low heat (1-2 mins). Transfer it onto a clean cutting board and set aside.
Now pepare the spinach. Combine spinach seasoning dressing in a large mixing bowl. Bring a small saucepan with a ½ cup of water to a boil. Add the spinach to a veggie steamer then add to the pot and close the lid. Steam the spinach for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until wilted, then take it out with a slotted spoon or strainer. Rinse the spinach in cold water to stop it from cooking. Squeeze it with your hands to remove any excess water. Cut it a few times and stir it into the bowl with the dressing.
Add the cooked and cooled spaghetti squash noodles to a medium mixing bowl. Pour in the remaining mushroom spaghetti squash marinade and mix well. Set aside.
Add a splash more oil if necessary and heat the pan to medium-low. Sauté the onion with a pinch of salt over until softened, around 1-2 mins. Transfer it to the large mixing bowl.
Add more oil if necessary. Increase the heat of the pan to medium. Cook the yellow or orange peppers with a pinch of salt over medium heat until softened, around 1-2 mins. Transfer it to the large mixing bowl.
Add more oil if necessary. Cook the red pepper with a pinch of salt over medium heat until softened, around 1-2 mins. Transfer it to the large mixing bowl.
Add more oil if necessary and reduce heat to medium-low heat. Pour in the marinated mushroom with any remaining sauce from the bowl, and stir fry until cooked, around 1-2 mins. Transfer it to the large mixing bowl.
Add more oil if necessary and increase heat to medium. Pour in the marinated meat and stir fry until cooked, around 2-3 minutes. Transfer it to the large mixing bowl.
Add more oil if necessary and heat the pan to medium-low. Stir fry the marinated spaghetti squash noodles until the noodles are well coated with the sauce and heated through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer it to the large mixing bowl.
Thinly slice the egg white and egg yolk like match sticks. Add them into the large mixing bowl.
Garnish with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds and gently mix them around with your hands or salad tossing utensils. Serve at room temperature for best results, but it can be served cold or hot if preferred, and can be warmed up in the microwave.
Did you make this keto Korean spaghetti squash japchae recipe? If so, please let me know how it went in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)
