I love Korean food but it is a very difficult kind of food to make. My mom is Korean is known for making the most delicious Korean food. Most of the times I have eaten Korean food out at restaurants I am not impressed because it does not even compare to my moms. Only until recently have I wanted to learn to make Korean food even if it seems very intimidating, I decided that I am finally going to give it a try. Searching on the internet for recipes I stumbled upon the blog of Maangchi a Korean cook based in New York. Famous for her Korean videos on youtube she shows the masses how to make real Korean food. I checked one of her recipes against one of my moms and if was almost exactly the same. That was the first time I really saw a recipe that was so similar to my moms, right then I knew her food would be real and authentic. Not to mention she has a massive following. Most of the recipes I am going to try all week are adapted from her website, Maangchi.com.
Soondubu jjigae-Soft Tofu Stew
Ingredients:
-12 dried anchovies, I use the little anchovy broth bags from the Korean market.
-1/3 cup of dried kelp
half onion
5 cloves of garlic
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
5 ounces of chopped beef
1 cup of mixed frozen seafood -optional
3 frozen shrimp
2 green onions
1 jalapeno
2-5 tbs of hot pepper flakes the more tbs, the hotter the soup will be
olive oil
sesame oil
2 tubes of soon du bu-soft tofu
2 tbs of fish sauce
2 eggs
First prepare the stock:
Pour 5 cups of water into a pot and add 12 dried anchovies after removing intestine (middle) part. Or put your anchovy tea bag in the pot.
Add half onion, some dried kelp (about 1/3 cup), 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, 5 cloves of garlic and boil it over high heat.
Approximately 10 minutes later, lower the heat to low medium heat and boil it for another 20 minutes.
Set aside the stock and take out the mushrooms and chop them into small pieces.
Heat your earthen ware pot (I use my dutch oven) on the stove med-high, and put 2 ts of olive oil.
Add your chopped beef and put it into the pot and stir it.
Add the chopped shiitake mushroom and stir it.
Add 2 tbs – 5 tbs (1/4 cup) of hot pepper flakes and keep stirring for 1 minute.
Pour 2 cups of the stock you made. It will be sizzling.
Add 1 cup of mixed seafood and 3 shirimp.
Add 2 tbs of fish sauce.
Cut the 2 tubes of Soon du bu (soft Tofu) in half and squeeze it out into the pot and break the tofu with a spoon several times in the pot.
When it boils, add 2 chopped green onions and 1 jalapeno.
Crack eggs on top of soup and drizzle some sesame oil before serving.
So I really liked my soup, it looked just like it did in Maangchi’s video but in the end it was missing something. I did not add the mixed the seafood, I just added more frozen shrimp to the soup. I added some noodles to the soup as well but I think I did not make the broth correctly. I used fresh shittake mushrooms when I should have used dried since that would have added to my broth. Oh well it was still really good. Practice makes perfect I guess. I also realized I can handle more heat, 2 tablespoons of dried chili pepper was not enough for me! This soup is great for a cold day or a sick friend, or if your just craving a hot bowl of yummy.
