Spicy Korean Noodles with Cabbage

This recipe has to be one of the easiest dishes I've prepared and definitely the simplest thing I've posted on this site.  I actually only recently learned about this dish. A good friend of mine and a colleague from our clinic who is of Korean descent brought this in for us to try. She described it as a simple Korean slaw that she generally serves with buckwheat noodles. It's traditionally served in the summer months to invigorate the appetite on lazy summer days. It looked delicious so I had to try it! I love anything spicy and I lOVE the flavours in Korean dishes. I have been hooked ever since. I kid you not, I was introduced to this a few weeks ago and have made it a couple of times a week ever since. Namely because it's delicious and secondly because it's so easy!! Winning combo in my books.

Guys I love cabbage. I actually love all cruciferous veggies, but ESPECIALLY red cabbage. Ya know why? Well because it is a nutritional and detoxifying powerhouse! ALL cabbage is beneficial for us, however purple cabbage has an additional anti-inflammatory compound called anthocyanins that makes it stand apart.  As I mentioned in my roasted cabbage steak recipe, all cabbage contains antioxidant nutrients and anti-inflammatory nutrients in the form of vitamin C, manganese, flavonoids and polyphenols. Refer to that recipe to read up on the anti-cancer benefits of cabbage.

Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that's part of the brassica family that includes kale, cauliflower, broccoli etc. These vegetables are extremely beneficial as they supply sulphur compounds which support liver detoxification. I would recommend that you include at least one cup of cruciferous veggies on a daily basis for optimal health. 

In this article I wanted to cover some of the other benefits of cabbage which include supporting digestive health (which is very near and dear to my heart) and cardiovascular health protection.

Cardiovascular benefits: As I mentioned earlier, red cabbage contains anthocyanin compounds which is contributes to its ability to provide cardiovascular protection, including protection of red blood cells. In various studies, blood levels of beta-carotene, lutein, and total blood antioxidant capacity have been found to improve with red cabbage intake, while oxidized LDL has been found to decrease.

Digestive health: I love reading research studies and basing my recommendations to clients based on well studied therapies.  Cabbage has been studied at length (over 475 studies to date!).  Various studies have established the healing properties of cabbage for the digestive tract, including the role of cabbage juice in helping heal stomach ulcers.  More recent studies on cabbage have looked at the overall health benefits of this food for the stomach and digestive tract as a whole. The results make it clear that cabbage contains a variety of nutrients of potential benefit to our stomach and intestinal linings. They also help to balance the bacteria in our digestive tract.

Ok now onto the recipe which provides 1 - 1 1/2 cups of cabbage per serving!  Yayy!!  To prepare the recipe begin by making the sauce by placing all the ingredients into a large bowl.  I like my dishes very spicy so I use a Korean spicy paste called gochujang.  This is a paste made from ground red chilli pepper, rice and soy beans which are fermented and aged to make a delicious spicy paste that is used in many Korean dishes.  I LOVE this stuff! You have to read the labels cautiously when you're buying this product (which can be found in any Korean specialty store). I found one that had only four ingredients and no preservatives.  Some of the packages contain corn syrup and added preservatives - so read carefully.  The one I bought contained chilli pepper, soy beans, rice and salt.  When I make this for my family, I replace the gochujang with miso paste.  They can't tolerate the spice, but they love miso. They all love this dish. All of them! Which usually doesn't happen.  So thankful when it does!!  Ok so mix all the ingredients and set aside.  Next thinly slice 3 cups of red cabbage, grate one large carrot (approx 1 cup) and thinly julienne 1/2 an english cucumber.  Mix all the veggies into the dressing and allow it to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 mins.  You can prepare this the night before and allow it to slowly marinate in the fridge as well.

Next cook buckwheat or any noodles of your choosing per the package instructions.  I love the favour of 100% buckwheat noodles.  My kids prefer brown rice noodles or Korean sweet potato glass noodles. Even shirataki noodles or kelp noodles would work well. Whatever you choose will be fine, as the noodles will pick up the flavour of the dressing.  Once the noodles are cooked, place 1/2 cup of noodles into a bowl, top with 1/2 to 1/3 of the veggie mixture. Top with toasted black and white sesame seeds and enjoy! You can top this with hemp hearts, grilled tofu or shrimp or any protein of your choosing.  I find this filling with approx 2-3 tablespoons of sesame seeds, but use what works for you!

Ejoy and let me know if you try this in the comments below!

xx

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Spicy Korean Noodles with Cabbage

Yield: 3

Author: Lara

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

It takes a little work, but it is worth it.

Ingredients

• Dressing
• 2 tbsp gochujang (or miso paste for non-spicy)
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame seed oil
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar (maple syrup, monk fruit sweetener or honey will work as well)
• 1 clove of crushed garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
• Slaw
• 3 cups of thinly sliced cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 english cucumber julienned
• Noodles
• 125g package of any noodles of your choice
• Toasted sesame seeds to your liking

Instructions

1. Dressing
2. Place the ingredients required for the dressing in a large bowl, large enough to fit all of the vegetables in the recipe. Mix well and set aside.
3. Slaw
4. Very thinly slice the cabbage. I like to slice mine as thin as possible to make chewing easier, plus the thin texture of the cabbage is enjoyable. Add this to the prepared dressing.
5. Grate one carrot, measuring approximately one cup and add it to the cabbage.
6. Thinly julienne 1/2 an English cucumber and add it to the rest of the vegetables.
7. Mix well until all of the vegetables are well coated with the dressing.
8. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the vegetables to absorb the marinade and begin to wilt.
9. Noodles
10. I like to use 125g of 100% buckwheat noodles to make this dish, but you can choose any noodles you like. Some options would be brown rice noodles, sweet potato glass noodles, kelp or shirataki noodles. Whatever you choose will be fine.
11. Serving
12. This will serve 2-3 people (I could personally eat half of this dish as it's quite light). Place the noodles in a serving bowl, top with half or a third of the vegetable mixture and top with sesame seeds. I use between 2-3 tablespoons of sesame seeds. You can add additional protein to this by using hemp hearts, grilled tofu or grilled shrimp but I prefer to enjoy it with the sesame seeds.

Created using The Recipes Generator