I couldn’t have asked for a better long weekend. It was unseasonably warm in the Bay Area, and so I spent as much time outdoors as in the kitchen.
On Saturday, I strolled around the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and chowed down on a fried chicken breast and collard greens from Keith’s Chicken-N-Waffles and oven-roasted Dungeness crab. (Yes, crab season has officially begun after a two-month delay.)
The next morning, I whipped up a batch of vegetable japchae to make use of fresh produce from Cal-Organic Farms. You can divide and arrange the components in individual bowls or toss everything together and serve it family style (as directed below).
And finally, I prepared half portions of sticky kung pao cauliflower and spicy honey-roasted carrots and visited Fort Funston on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (It was so fun watching all the dogs run around and play!) Like I said, it was a good holiday break. 🙂
Recipe adapted from Korean Bapsang.
- 3½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups thinly sliced bok choy, stalks and leaves separated
- sea salt, to taste
- 7 ounces sweet potato starch noodles
- 1½ tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, cut into 1½" pieces
- 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Prepare a medium bowl of ice water and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add bok choy stalks and cook for 1 minute. Add bok choy leaves and cook until just barely wilted, about 1 minute. Use tongs to remove bok choy from water and transfer to the prepared ice bath to cool. Drain bok choy and season with salt.
- Bring reserved water to a boil. Cook sweet potato starch noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water, drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons prepared sauce and toss to combine.
- In a large fry pan, heat ½ tablespoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Add prepared sweet potato starch noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Return to large bowl and set aside.
- Heat ½ more tablespoon canola oil in the fry pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sweet potato starch noodles.
- Heat remaining ½ tablespoon canola oil in the fry pan over medium-high heat. Add yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 2-4 minutes. Add green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with sweet potato starch noodles and carrots.
- In the same fry pan, combine the mushrooms and 2 tablespoons prepared sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sweet potato starch noodles, carrots and onions.
- Add prepared bok choy and remaining sauce and toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
