Here is an easy and unique stirfry that pairs sweet and tangy plums with spicy kimchi. Throw some fresh ginger in the mix, serve on some zucchini and squash “noodles,” and you have a delicious blend of flavors all working in concert. This recipe is paleo-friendly and gluten-free. We’re pumping this dish with lots of plum flavor by using both plum sauce in the marinade, and fresh sliced plum in the actual stir fry. Feel free to experiment with your choice of fresh veggies. This recipe calls for thinly sliced beef, but shrimp or chicken would also work well with the plums. I’m actually using antelope meat as a natural, organic, and delicious alternative.

Remember, this is stir fry. You can cook this is a large, hot frying pan, or a wok is even better if you have one. With high heat, everything comes together quickly, so most of the work on this recipe is prepping your ingredients and having them ready.
A note on the plum sauce: store-bought plum sauce is full of soy, wheat and sugar. It’s no good, and you can easily make your own. Although it did add a little sugar to my recipe, I simply used some wild plum preserves from my parents’ garden for a much simpler and delicous substitute.

Ingredients:

1 lb. thinly sliced beef or other meat
Fresh ginger: 1 TBS for marinade, plus a 1-inch chunk for the stir fry
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic (more if you love garlic), minced
1 jalapeño (or serrano if you like it hotter)
3 TBS. coconut oil
3 TBS. plum sauce (use plum preserves or jam if you can)
2 TBS. fish sauce (or 1 TBS salt)
3 TBS. unseasoned rice vinegar
2 TBS. coconut aminos (gluten-free soy sauce replacement)
1 TBS. sambal olek, or other chili sauce
1 jar, about 2 C. kimchi (even better if you ferment your own!)
2 small plums
3 or 4 mini peppers, or 1 bell pepper
3 medium sized squash (I’m using 2 zucchinis and a yellow squash)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 or 4 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Let’s prepare the marinade first: In a medium-sized bowl, grate your ginger with a micrograter. I keep chunks of ginger in the freezer, and then pull them out when necessary. Frozen ginger grates much more easily, and you don’t have to peel it!

Add plum sauce, rice vinegar, 1 TBS coconut oil, coconut aminos, 1 TBS. fish sauce, sambal olek and minced garlic, and stir to combine. Set aside

Slice your meat very thin. If you do this while the meat is partially frozen, it’s much easier to cut. Now slice your onion into thin slices.

Add the meat and onions to a gallon-size storage bag.

Now pour the marinade into the bag, seal it while pushing out most of the air, and squeeze the bag to work the marinade through the meat. Refrigerate and allow the meat to marinate for at least half an hour, and up to 4 hours.

Prep your stir fry ingredients: Slice the plums into thin slices.

Slice the peppers into small bite-sized pieces, and peel and slice the fresh ginger into small matchsticks. If you’re using other veggies in your stir fry, now would be the time to prep them.

I’ve blogged my love for my turning slicer before. It’s basically a veggie lathe, and it makes excellent “noodles.” I purchased a Paderno slicer, and highly recommend it. It’s easy to set up, use, and clean. This one is about $35, and  you can get it here. Now load a squash into the slicer, and turn to create your noodles.

Transfer your noodles to a microwave-safe dish, season with a little salt and pepper, cover, and nuke them for 3 minutes. I suppose you could steam your noodles instead of microwaving them, but hey, noodles in 3 minutes? I’m going for it…

And now it’s time to put it all together. In a large pan or wok, heat the coconut oil until it is shimmering.

Now add the meat and onions to the wok, and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the ginger, peppers, kimchi and plums, continue stirring for an additional 5 minutes, until heated through.

Turn off the heat, and stir in cilantro and green onions. Reserve a few to top your dish.

Now serve your stir fry over the squash noodles, and enjoy while it’s piping hot!