When I rewatched my YouTube video, I was so sad that I missed the opportunity to say that THAT was the reason the kabocha has become so popular in the keto community. It’s delicious. That’s why. All the other stuff I said is true, but so much further down on the list. Good job, Jihae. SMH
Kabocha is a magical squash. It has that beautiful, starchy mouthfeel of a potato that we all miss so much, the flavor of a mild sweet potato, and absolutely worth all 4g net carbs per half cup and a great source of vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and both potassium and magnesium which are both really essential to those of us on a ketogenic diet.
This gorgeous creamy whipped avocado crema pairs perfectly with your favorite protein, as a dip for your favorite veggies, and is perfect even as a salad dressing. It is rich, yet bright, spicy, and full of only whole food ingredients. Light and dreamy and the perfect healthy addition to any savory meal.
The tools for this recipe that are linked above are all conveniently found in my Amazon Storefront.
SWOON
This Vietnamese noodle salad is summer time in a bowl! It’s fresh and light but oh-so-flavorful and leaves you 1000% satisfied. With so many textural elements, each bite is never boring and as found in most Vietnamese dishes, the flavors are delicate and perfectly balanced. Each bite leaves you wanting more and more. You are absolutely going to love this. Please please give this a try!
INSTRUCTIONS
Julienne daikon and carrot and place in a mason jar along with water, vinegar, Lakanto and salt. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
Shred lettuce and thinly slice cucumber.
Roast and crush (or don’t… I forgot. Oops!) peanuts.
Shape Keto Cha Gio into patties and pan fry in a neutral oil (I like avocado oil) or put some of the Keto Cha Gio mix inside 1/6th of a sheet of Cut Da Carb (see picture below) then roll up and deep fry until inside is cooked.
5. In a big bowl (think pho bowl), assemble your Keto Bun Cha Gio starting with a bed of crunchy shredded lettuce, place a loose ball of Keto Glass Noodles in the middle of your bowl. Add some cucumber slices, pickled daikon and carrot, and herbs along the edge of your bowl. Add your Keto Cha Gio, top with peanuts and serve with a generous side of Keto Nuoc Cham.
6. Pour in your Keto Nuoc Cham and mix everything thoroughly! Make sure all the noodles are covered in the sauce and enjoy!
Tag me @jihaekwon_ so I cannot wait to see your creations #goodfoodonlyclub!!
Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
SWOON
It’s spicy and sweet and has a bit of smoky flavor from that char. You’re gonna love. Pleas be sure to read the notes down below!
INSTRUCTIONS
In a mixing bowl, add Bragg’s Coconut Aminos, Coconut Secrets, sesame oil, Lakanto, gochugaru, sesame seeds and mix thoroughly.
Slice onion, chop green onion and mince garlic. Reserve some green onion for garnish, but add the rest to the mixing bowl.
Add thinly sliced pork butt to the bowl and thoroughly mix everything together. Let sit for 15 minutes.
While the meat is marinating, you can wash your ssam (lettuce, perilla leaf, etc.) and make any *banchan you’d like!
Heat up cast iron, pan or grill. Put spicy pork bulgogi on once your surface is nice and hot. Resist the urge to touch the meat for a good thirty seconds to one minute. We want a little char on there! Yeah baby!
Serve alongside your ssam and banchan or with some caulirice if that’s your thing!
NOTES
Banchan are the small side dishes that are served alongside your Korean meals– I have a shmoll playlist with super easy banchan if you’re interested here.
If you only have Bragg’s Coconut Aminos and not Coconut Secrets, use 3 Ts of Bragg’s + 1 extra tsp of Lakanto.
If you only have Coconut Secrets and no Bragg’s use 3 T Coconut Secrets + 1 tsp salt.
I like to make a big batch all at once and put them into Ziplock freezer bags. I label the bag with a name and date, add some of the marinated meats and flatten them out so that the Ziplock bag is about ¾-1” thick, stack and place in the freezer. This way, on any given weekday I can pull out a baggie, run it under some warm water for a couple minutes and cook it up fresh. Because of the way it was stored flat, it should thaw very quickly. I like to use this method of storage often! It’s also a very efficient way to use the space in your freezer.
Tag me @jihaekwon_ so I cannot wait to see your creations #goodfoodonlyclub!!
▸ 1/2 lb Keto Glass Noodles ▸ Keto Nuoc Cham ▸ 1/4 C Wood Ear Mushroom ▸ 1 Small Carrot ▸ 1 Small Onion ▸ 2 Small Shallots ▸ 3-4 Green Onions ▸ 10 Garlic Cloves ▸ 15 Medium Sized Shrimp ▸ 1 lb Ground Pork ▸ 1 tsp Salt or to Taste ▸ 25 Grinds of Pepper Mill ▸ 1/8 – 1/4 C Lakanto Golden or Classic ▸ 3 Medium or 2 Large Eggs
Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
SWOON
MAKE THIS. And make a double– no! Triple batch!!! See notes section below to see how I store and keep for super easy weeknight meals and all the different ways to use this incredible recipe. OMG YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE ME!!!
This dish starts with a base of pork and shrimp, a match-made in foodie heaven, and when you add pretty much every type of allium: garlic, onions, shallot and green onion to the mix, you already know it’s going to be CRAZY! Some shredded carrot for some mild sweetness. Wood ear mushroom and keto glass noodles round out the party with fun textural elements! Wood ear mushroom has a unique crunchy texture and keto glass noodles lend a soft, slippery mouthfeel. Top it with some umamiful keto nuoc cham and serve it alongside fresh, gorgeous herbs (optional, but like, kinda not). You will die.
Aside from ALL DAT FLAVA, look at that ingredients list! LOOK AT IT! Full of all those “science science, science science really good stuff” things– meat and veg! And other than the small amount of monk fruit sweetener (which some might consider clean and even medicinal in China), it’s ALL WHOLE FOODS. SO EXCITING!
Seriously though, the delicate combination of flavors found in many Vietnamese dishes is so special and when learned to appreciate– can only result in an everlasting love affair with this country’s incredible dishes. You will love it. Please give this a try.
Prepare your Keto Glass Noodles and cover your wood ear mushroom with boiling or very hot tap water.
Julienne carrots and place in the mixing bowl.
Chop onion, shallots, green onions and garlic and add to the mixing bowl.
Drain water from wood ear mushroom and julienne and add to the mixing bowl.
Chop shrimp until sticky and pasty and add to the mixing bowl.
Snip glass noodles into 1” pieces with scissors straight into the mixing bowl.
Add salt, pepper, Lakanto and eggs.
Mix thoroughly by hand.
Heat up cast iron skillet or pan, add a bit of avocado oil and add mixture.
Add napa cabbage if you’d like.
Leave everything alone for a good 45 seconds and allow it to brown and develop flavor before flipping or stirring.
Drizzle with keto nuoc cham and serve with your favorite herbs or leafy greens and enjoy. Omg. I’m so excited for you.
NOTES
I like to make a big batch all at once and put them into Ziplock freezer bags. I label the bag with a name and date, add some of the mixture and flatten them out so that the Ziplock bag is about ¾-1” thick, stack and place in the freezer. This way, on any given weekday I can pull out a baggie, run it under some warm water for a couple minutes and cook it up fresh. Because of the way it was stored flat, it should thaw very quickly. I like to use this method of storage often! It’s also a very efficient way to use the space in your freezer.
There are endless ways to eat this incredible mix, but here are a few ideas!
Place mixture in Cut Da Carb, roll up and deep fry, for a very close-to-the-actual version of Cha Gio (Vietnamese Spring Roll– not in a bowl)
Form the mixture into patties to cook like burgers
Roll them into balls and throw them into the air fryer
Use is as a taco filling on your favorite low carb tortilla or lettuce boat
Put an egg on it! Put an egg on everything! lol
Actually, make that a kai dao egg. 😉
Add them to your Bun Thit Nuong – Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowl (recipe coming next week!)
Get creative!! You’re the keto boss!! Tag me @jihaekwon_ so I cannot wait to see your creations #goodfoodonlyclub!!
The ingredients and tools for this recipe that are linked above are all conveniently found under Nuoc Cham in my Amazon Storefront.
Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
SWOON
Nuoc Cham or Vietnamese Dipping Sauce is an essential condiment to every Vietnamese households. It really is the perfect, delicate, harmonious combination of sweet, umami, salty, and acid and can really elevate a dish (level up! level up!). I always like to bring my little mason jar with me to Buffalo Wild Wings on Tuesdays like the money-saving, sauce boss I am and dip my extra-crispy naked wings into this this umamiful goodness. Share it with your cute, little server (Hi Mitch!) and maybe he’ll help you out when the Blazers are in the playoffs on a Tuesday and there’s a really really long wait. 😉
It’s also a must when eating bun thit nuong (Vietnamese vermicelli bowls), cha gio (Vietnamese spring rolls)– recipes coming soon, banh xeo (Vietnamese savory shrimp and pork crepe), goi ga (Vietnamese chicken and cabbage salad), and more.
Vietnamese Spring Roll in a Bowl with a side of Keto Nuoc Cham Photo Credit: Karen Khoun
It truly is so special and I really think you will love it. Please make it, purse it (I like to put it in my mason jar and then also a ziplock bag because… fish sauce), snap a pic and tag me on IG @jihaekwon_ and enjoy it with your chicken wings!
INSTRUCTIONS
In a mortar and pestle pound your garlic and Thai chili peppers until there are no big chunks. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Taste and adjust to how your liking. 🙂
If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, no worries! Finely chop your garlic and Thai chili peppers and add all of your ingredients into a bowl.
Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Tteokppokki is the most popular street food that South Korea is known for. You can see young school kids, the elderly and everyone in between lined up at small kiosks, tarp-covered stands, and at restaurants waiting to eat this chewy, spicy, comforting dish. It also comes in many variations with ramen noodles, ultra-processed mozzarella cheese (it’s good– trust me), extreme spice levels, etc. I will be sharing with you the most common version you will find in Korea.
Tteokppokki is well-rounded: sweet, spicy and salty all work together in harmony and one flavor doesn’t overpower the others.
Start by gathering all of the tools and ingredients.
Boil water in the heavy bottom pot.
Clean the dried anchovies by removing the head and guts. Place the cleaned anchovies to the tea filter ball and place into the heavy bottom pot. Boil for 20 minutes.
While the water is transforming into a beautiful, umami rich stock, chop the green onion, cabbage and fishcakes. Cabbage is something my family has always added to our tteokppokki and I really love the added crunch and sweetness, but it’s not something you see often. Fishcake is almost always used in tteokppokki, but I’m near positive it is not what most would consider “keto-friendly.” I add a few slices and say YOLO, but if you are practicing “strict keto” I think that any thinly sliced cuts of protein would be great– beef, pork, chicken, good quality hot dog even. Set aside.
Remove the tea filter ball and add the keto gochujang, Lakanto Classic, coconut aminos, gochugaru to taste, until it becomes a smooth sauce. If you’d like a thicker consistency, add the tiniest bit of xanthan gum, about 1/32 tsp. Add the cabbage and fishcakes if you please and cook until desired doneness– I like my cabbage quite crunchy, so I don’t cook it for too long. Take it off the heat and set it aside.
Set the stove to med-high and place a generous amount of oil to the bottom of the non-stick pan. Place the keto rice cakes in the pan leaving a bit of space between each rice cake and leave it alone for at least one minute or until the rice cake lifts from the pan easily and has developed nice browning. Crowding the pan will create steam which prevents browning from happening and browning is flavor. If you go to flip the rice cake and you feel any resistance, leave it alone! This may take a couple batches if you are using a smaller pan. Brown the keto Korean rice cakes on as many sides as you have the patience for, but minimum two. Place the rice cakes on a serving plate. Try one now while it’s super hot. So good.
Bring the sauce back to desired temperature and then gently pour it over the rice cakes on the serving plate. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and a hard or soft boiled egg if you’d like and that’s it! You’re done!
These days in Korea you will often find tteokppokki served with ramen noodles, jjolmyeon noodles, ultra-processed mozzarella cheese (Don’t use the good stuff! Trust me!), etc. Keto glass noodles are a great substitute for jjolmyeon noodles and lucky for us, mozzarella is a go on keto! Good luck and enjoy! – Jihae
Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Some things to keep in mind: The chemistry of my keto rice cakes make it so it acts very differently than a traditional rice cake during cooking. You cannot simply replace a tteokppokki recipe with keto rice cakes and have the same effect. Traditional rice cakes are starchy and sticky and lends to the dish its thickening effect. Traditional rice cakes are also quite resilient and will stay together without too much care. Keto rice cakes are a bit more delicate. They are bouncy and chewy and quite neutral in taste just like the original version, so they accompany stronger flavors beautifully. If boiled too long, they become part of the sauce, so pan fry and add to any dish as the last step for best results.
Let’s get started by gathering all of the ingredients and tools. Fill the steamer with water and set to high heat on the stove. Be sure to have enough water to steam for about 50 minutes or remember to refill the steamer when water runs out to avoid scorching the pot.
Prepare a heatproof vessel (ie. bowl, cake pan, pizza pan, etc.) that will fit in the steamer and will also allow room for the rice cake to rise by two times. Oil the inside of the vessel liberally. I also outlined and cut out a piece of parchment paper that will fit the bottom of the pan, but I haven’t found this step to be necessary.
Use a food scale to be as accurate as possible. After every item placed on the scale (ie. bowl, strainer, almond flour), I hit zero to measure each new ingredient. Into the mixing bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients and whisk to evenly distribute.
Place the mixing bowl on a towel so that the bowl doesn’t move around. Add the boiling water to the mixture as you whisk quickly and thoroughly!
Turn the burner to medium heat. Put the mixture into the heatproof vessel, gently pat it down to get an even layer, and carefully place the rice cake into the steamer.
Place a towel under the lid to catch any condensation from dripping onto the keto rice cakes.
Let it steam on medium heat for 50 minutes and then on high for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the steamed keto rice cake and place it into an oiled glass Pyrex 3-cup rectangular food storage container or any smaller vessel that will mold the rice cake to be about 3/4″ thick. Press into the mold and place in the freezer for about 1 hour.
The rice cake should be hard enough to cut into pieces with ease. Traditional rice cakes are shaped in long cylinders that are cut to small log-shaped pieces or thin ovals on a bias, but I find the best, no-fuss way to do this is cut the rice cake into rectangular prisms. I cut mine in half the long way and cut smaller pieces
Keep them in the refrigerator or freezer until you’re ready to use them! To enjoy, pan fry each side until you get golden brown color and add them at the end of any recipe.
Use them in keto tteokppokki (spicy rice cakes), dip them in a mix of some Vitafiber & doenjang, wrap some dried seaweed around it, eat them with Korean BBQ and toast them in the shiny pork belly drippings. Mm. Add guilt-free, chewy goodness to every meal!
Have you already made my keto gochujang? If yes, then you’ll be ready to make my ketosis tteokppokki next week! Good luck and enjoy! – Jihae
PS. If you’d like to see the texture in action, you can check out my story highlights on my instagram @jihaesketokitchen under tteok.
Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Bibimbap, buldak (fire chicken), dweji bulgogi (pork bulgogi), tteokppokki (spicy rice cake), dak doritang (spicy braised chicken) are all super popular, incredibly delicious Korean dishes that people all over the world have learned to enjoy. If you’ve ever wondered what it is that makes these dishes so delicious– it’s the gochujang.
In my first round of testing, I made my keto gochujang without the dried shrimp and I was incredibly happy. Gochujang is normally a vegetarian paste anyways, so if you are vegetarian leave out the dried shrimp and it will be delicious and you will love it. The addition of dried shrimp added even more depth to the sauce that I think is usually attributed to the fermented soybean powder in the original non-keto version, so if you don’t have an aversion to seafood, I say add it!
Gochujang is a thick, luscious red pepper paste with well-rounded, bold, umami, sweet, spicy and salty notes.
This recipe is so easy, will keep in your refrigerator forever, tastes 9.5/10 like the real deal, and will add such a special touch to anything you put it on.
Gather your ingredients.
Add the dried shrimp to a coffee/spice grinder (I love and own two of the exact model linked– one for my coffee beans and one that I use exclusively for spices and dried shrimp) and blitz to make shrimp threads. Alternatively, you can pound the shrimp using a mortar and pestle.
Add all of the ingredients into a sauce pan except the xanthan gum and dried shrimp. Mix well.
Sprinkle the xanthan gum evenly to the top of the mixture and stir to incorporate evenly.
Place the sauce pan on the stove and stir constantly with a rubber spatula on medium-low for about 5 minutes. The xanthan gum should start working it’s magic and turning the paste nice and thick. Add your shrimp threads and continue to stir for an additional 5 minutes and you’re done! The gochujang should coat the back of your spoon without moving.
Put into a glass container and keep in the refrigerator. Your keto gochujang should be good for at least a year.
Enjoy gochujang as a dip with your favorite Korean BBQ, as a marinade for chicken and pork, bibimbap, and tteokppokki. Not traditional, but I do imagine it would make a great addition to a burger! Make a little aioli by mixing gochujang with some keto-friendly mayo, spread it on your Diet Doctor Bread Bun or dip your jicama fries in it. Mm.. the possibilities are endless. Enjoy and good luck! -Jihae
Jihae Kwon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
This rice is recommended for fried rice application only! It can be used in bibimbap, but only with a medium-hard egg fried egg.
I’ve been hesitant to release this recipe because I’m not positive this is the very best substitute for rice, but when I thought about how happy people are with cauliflower rice, which, in my not-so-humble opinion only looks like rice, I felt like this could make some people happy too and had to share.
I will tell you– it is not a perfect glass noodle or dangmyun (당면: sweet potato starch noodle) sub like keto glass noodles, but it has made me and Tohte (and now many others on Instagram) very happy in certain applications. To be quite honest, I haven’t missed rice very much since starting my keto journey, but once in a while I do miss certain dishes that just cannot be made without rice. Dishes such as kimchi bokkeumbap (김치볶음밥: kimchi fried rice) and bibimbap… after all, bap is the Korean word for rice.
Keto multigrain rice is not soft and fluffy like white rice, but more like the multigrain purple rice, which is more texturally complex. Some bits of my keto multigrain rice have a bit of a “husk” or shell like brown rice and is also a bit sticky and slippery. The taste is mild– earthy and grainy.
Let’s begin! Gather all of the ingredients, place the oven rack on the third shelf from the top and set your broiler to 500°F.
In a large mixing bowl, add the Vital Proteins Gelatin and boiling water, whisk to dissolve. Allow to bloom for five minutes.
Add the hemp hearts and chia seeds. Whisk until chia seeds are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Let the mixture sit for 30min-overnight. This should thicken and become viscous.
Spread and flatten this mixture on a silicone baking mat on a cookie sheet to about 0.5cm.
Place on the third rack under the broiler for five minutes.
Remove and “fluff” the “rice”– mix it up a bit and flatten again.
Place under the broiler for another five minutes. If you love nureungji (누릉지: scorched rice), leave it for an extra minute or two– the nureungji is nutty and on point.
It’s now ready to be used in rice dishes! This should yield about one cup of rice, but I believe because of its satiating macronutrient profile, I always eat much less than I would have actual rice.
Ideas on how to use them: So far I have used keto multigrain rice in kimchi fried rice, bibimbap and sushi rolls. It worked really well for kimchi fried rice and bibimbap. Tohte and I both agreed that it was decent for sushi rolls, but we preferred to eat our sushi as hand rolls sans rice substitute. I have yet to try, but I’m quite certain this combination would work perfectly for all different rice porridge recipes (juk, jok, congee, chao, etc.).
