First things first, sorry for having to postpone this week’s entry. My little tornado of a son has not been feeling well. He went from an F2 to an F5 in a matter of days. Poor little guy has been sleepless and crabby. With that said, any excess time I have goes to extra cuddles and love for my Boo Bear. I’m sure the changing weather is not helping how my son feels either. Today is supposed to be over 60 degrees and then snow on Saturday. Midwest weather is so indecisive. Eventually, the weather will become and stay cold….maybe, I won’t bet on it. When the cold climate creeps in, we want something warm, hearty and filling. Soups and stews (especially broth-y ones) are the perfect fit. That’s why we are making a Paleo Yook Gae Jang.
What is Yook Gae Jang? It is a Spicy Beef Soup with Korean origins. It contains shredded beef, green onions, various spices and Korean sweet potato noodles, which is paleo friendly. The soup is usually served with white jasmine rice, but that is totally up to you. Did I mention I love Korean cuisines. It is flavorful, yet not overly heavy. Plus, many Korean dishes are inspired by the medicinal property of its ingredients. Yook Gae Jang’s hot and spicy tastes are very warming, making it the perfect dish for winter time. My version is modified for simplicity and paleo purpose. Without further delay, let’s make some Yook Gae Jang!
Paleo Yook Gae Jang:
4-5 Quarts – Water
2½ – 3lbs – Grassfed Bottom Round Roast
1/2 – Large White Onion
10 Stalks – Green Onion
2 Stalks – Leeks
4-6 Tbsp – Gochugaru (Korean Chili Powder)
4 Tbsp – Freshly Minced Garlic
2 Tbsp – Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp – Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp – Coconut Aminos
1 Tbsp – Fish Sauce
1/2 Tsp – Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt – To Taste
4 – Large Free Range Eggs (Beaten with pinch of salt)
Korean Sweet Potato Noodles (Dangmyeon)
Here I go again, talking ingredients. Let’s talk about the cut of beef to use. I used a bottom round roast, but you can use chuck roast, arm roast, or a flank steak. Most like to use a chuck roast, but I love using bottom round because it is a cheaper cut and the results are amazing. As for the fish sauce and sesame oil, you might be able to find it at your local grocery stores’ Asian aisle. If not, make a trip to your local Korean/Asian grocer to pick them up, along with the Korean Chili Powder and sweet potato noodles. Traditional Yook Gae Jang includes bean sprouts and fernbrake (Gosari), but I excluded it for simplicity purpose.
To start the Yook Gae Jang, trim the fat from your bottom round roast and divide it into two portions. So here is two ways to make this. You can fill your stock pot with 5 quarts of water, the beef and the white onion. Bring it to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. You want to simmer it for 2-3 hours while keeping your eye on the liquid levels. Skim off any impurities and fat as they appear. I know many of us lead busy lifestyles and we can make this easier by utilizing a slow cooker. Put the beef and onion in a slow cooker. Fill it with 5 quarts of hot water. Set the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours. After it finishes in the slow cooker, you can strain the liquid of any impurities with a mesh strainer.
While the soup is simmering, let’s prep the marinade ingredients. I used a mortar and pestle, but you can easily do this with a food processor. I love spicy food, so I used 6 tbsp of chili powder, but you can reduce it to 4 tbsp for a milder version. Place chili powder, minced garlic, sesame oil, EVOO, coconut amino, fish sauce and black pepper in the food processor and process it until it is well incorporated.
Next, prep the green onion and leeks. Wash them thoroughly and cut them into 3 inch portions, separating the whites from the greens for the green onions only. When the broth is done simmering, remove the onion and beef from the broth. Let the beef cool slightly and shred it. If you chose the slow cooker option, strain the liquid into a stock pot and set it on the stove on medium heat and bring it to a boil. Once the broth is starting to bubble, throw in the shredded beef, the marinade that we made earlier, and the white parts of the green onion and leeks. Reduce the heat to medium and let the Yook Gae Jang simmer for half an hour.
While the Yook Gae Jang is simmering, you can cook up some Korean sweet potato noodles as instructed on the package. After the soup has reached it’s half an hour mark, add in the green parts of the green onions. Now, add the beaten eggs slowly and stir once lightly. The egg will cook as soon as it hits the boiling broth. If you add in too quickly or stir too hard, the broth will become cloudy: stir once, wait 10 seconds, stir again to distribute the eggs evenly. The Yook Gae Jang is officially ready to eat. If the sweet potato noodles have cooled off, you can put the noodles in a skimming/straining ladle and dip it in the pot of hot soup to heat it up. Plate the noodles, and pour the boiling Yook Gae Jang over the noodles. You can top it off with toasted sesame seeds, diced green onions and a fresh egg yolk. You have to make sure the soup is very hot when topping with an egg yolk to ensure it can cook. All that’s left is warming up with a hot bowl of Yook Gae Jang. Until next time, eat up my friends!
I am for sure going to show this article to a couple of my friends!
Please do! I would love to hear some feedback 🙂