the Nom Lab.

I ended my night (yes, night. I've developed this bad habit of dining waaay past the conventional hour. Then again, is there really any conventional timing to a student life?) cradling and savoring a lukewarm mug of Soondubu Jigae, or more latin-ly recognizable as "Korean Soft Tofu Stew".

Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
(Adapted from gumshoe gastronomy)

Ingredients:

For the broth:
1 sheet of dried kelp
4 dried shitake mushrooms
½ onion, quartered and roasted
6 cups water

For the sauce:
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp red pepper powder (I used this Japanese red pepper powder called Shichimi)
3 Tbsps Gochujang (Korean Hot Pepper Bean Paste) (Adjust spice to taste!)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp liquid from kimchi jar

For the stew:
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup sliced zucchini or yellow squash
4-5 shitake mushrooms, sliced (stems removed)
½ cup chopped kimchi
1 cup roughly chopped spinach
½ cup leeks, chopped
1/3 lb soft or silken tofu
Salt, to taste

Garnishes:
2 scallions, chopped
½ green chili/asian pepper, sliced

Preparation:

1) Roast the onion halve for 10-15 minutes or until the outer skin starts crisping up in dark golden.
2) Combine all stock ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Mix together all sauce ingredients and set aside.
3) Heat the oil in an earthenware pot or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, the leeks and mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes until the mushrooms release their liquid. Stir in the sauce and sauté for a few seconds until bubbling. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Add the kimchi and spinach and boil until the spinach wilts.
4) Drop the tofu into the stew in one block. Gently break up the tofu as you stir it into the sauce (don’t crumble it in because the stew should be chunky and the tofu is very delicate).  Continue to boil until the veggies are soft.
5) Taste for salt. Serve with white or brown rice and garnishes.