Japchae: Korean Scallop Stir-Fried Noodles (AIP, Paleo)

Last weekend the hubby and I finally got ourselves to a local Asian market and all I can say is "what in the world took us so long!?" I was like a kid in a candy store with all the many things that are just impossible to find else where, not to mention the prices. We easily spent 2 hours there just looking through everything, though I'm sure we missed something. Next week!

One thing I have been dying to find and try are Korean glass sweet potato noodles. I love my zoodles, don't get me wrong, but there is something that you miss about the gummy like noodle texture. What's great about these noodles is that they are simple made from sweet potato starch and water.

Then of course once I found the noodles I had to figure out what to do with them. After visiting my trusted friend Google, I decided something Asian inspired, uh duh.

After I made the dish and struggle to figure out what to call, I realized exactly what I had made. I had made is Japchae, which is a Korean stir fried dish using the sweet potato noodles, veggies and sometimes a protein. Typically, this dish is made with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar, but you won't find any of that in mine.

Japchae: Korean Scallop Stir-Fried Noodles

Ingredients

• 1 lb of bay scallops, washed and thoroughly pat dry
• 1 lb of bok choy, cut in 1 inch strips
• 2 medium carrots, cut in to match stix
• 1 bunch of green onions (8-10), sliced white parts + slice green parts
• 3.5 oz of glass sweet potato noodles
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons avocado oil 
• 2 tablespoons of a sweet red wine (AIP gray area) alternative would be honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of sea salt (for boiling)

Preparation

1. In a large stock pot with strainer, bring salted water to boil.
2. Add bok choy and carrots to water and par-boil for 2-3 minutes, strain and place in a bowl.
3. Bring water back to a boil and add glass sweet potato noodles and cook for 5 minutes, strain and place in bowl with veggies.
4. While noodles are cooking, put coconut aminos, 1/4 cup of avocado oil, wine, ume plum vinegar, and sliced green onions (white parts) in a small bowl and whisk to combine. 
5. In a large pan, heat 2 teaspoons of avocado oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add scallops to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Flipping them half way through.
7. When scallops are cooked, add veggies and pasta to dish and stir to combine.
8. Pour sauce on top of mix in pan and stir to combine. Continue to cook until sauce is almost all absorbed. 
9. Serve in a bowl topped with sliced greens onions (green part).