Soon Dubu Chigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew) - [Cooking]

Posted by Chubbypanda at 8/06/2007 05:54:00 PM

(Pictures for this recipe taken with my Canon Rebel XTi.)

I've been feeling pretty down in the dumps lately. In addition to my usual run of summer allergies, the company I work for laid off about 2/3 of all our employees during a downsizing two weeks ago. I was lucky enough to avoid the ax, but I lost a lot of good people from my department. Those of us who are left are pretty demoralized. It feels like I'm attending a prolonged wake every time I step into the office.



When I'm depressed, I like making warm, soothing dishes to comfort me. Soon Dubu Chigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew) is one of my favorite comfort foods. Despite the fact that I'm not Korean, there's something incredibly homey about a big, earthenware bowl filled with clams, tofu, beef, and broth. I love both the spicy kick of this dish and how the flavors permeate into each and every piece of silky soft tofu. Add a bowl of rice and you've got a powerful salve for what ails you. Even though the weather has been hot, any time is a good time for Soon Dubu Chigae.


Recipe for Soon Dubu Chigae


Gear:

1 3-quart saucepan or sauté pan
1 shallow ladle
1 chef's knife, Santouku knife, or Chinese cleaver
1 cutting board


Ingredients (Soon Dubu Chigae):



1 lbs of beef cut shabu-shabu style
1 lb of live clams
8-12 cloves of garlic
1 cup on kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage), drained
2 blocks of silken tofu



1/4 cup of kochukaru (Korean chili flake)
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp of vegetable oil (preferably Canola)
2 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of sesame oil
6 cups of water


Prep work (Soon Dubu Chigae):



If you did not buy the clams from a market, or if you have doubts as to whether the market purged them of sand, place the clams in a solution of 1 cup salt, 3 cups cold water, and 3 tbsp of cornmeal overnight. Most fresh and frozen clams purchased from a fishmonger or supermarkets have already had this step performed on them, so you're fairly safe skipping it.

Rinse the clams in cold running water. Brush thoroughly to remove any sand or loose bits of shell. Discard any cracked ones or ones whose shells fail to close. Drain, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and place in the refrigerator until ready to cook.



Peel and clean the garlic. Smash with the flat of your knife, then finely chop. Set aside.



Squeeze any remaining liquid out of the kimchi. Finely chop and set aside.



Cut your tofu up into cubes. Use whatever dimensions you prefer, as long as they're uniform. I like 1-in x 1-in x 1/2-in measurements for mine, since it makes them easier to pick up with chopsticks.



Remove your meat from its package and separate out into individual slices. This will make it easier to sauté and prevent clumping. Return to the refrigerator until ready to cook.


Instructions (Soon Dubu Chigae):



Add the vegetable oil to your pan and heat to medium high. Once the oil becomes very loose and starts to smoke slightly, add the garlic. Sautee until the garlic is light brown and the oil becomes fragrant. Should take less than a minute.



Add the kimchi to the pan and sauté until the mixture is dry and the kimchi stops releasing liquid. Most of the sizzling sounds should stop. Takes 5-10 minutes.



Add each slice of beef individually in folds to help prevent clumping. Let the beef brown on the bottom for a few minutes before you stir. Give the meat a few minutes to brown between each stir.



Once the meat has separated into individual slices and is in no danger of sticking together, sauté until any fat has rendered away. Should take around 10 minutes.



Add the kochukaru, sea salt, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir until evenly distributed. Make sure the area is well ventilated and try to keep any steam from getting into your eyes.



Sautee for another 2-3 minutes to help release the flavor of the kochukaru. If the mixture looks like it might be in danger of burning, reduce the heat to medium.



Add enough water to barely cover the meat, increase the heat to high, and bring up to a boil.



Add the tofu and let come back up to a boil. Drop the heat to medium, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.



Insert the clams hinge-side down. Cover, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil, then simmer until all the clam shells have opened. Should take less than 10 minutes.



Serves 3-6.




Best enjoyed with a nice, big bowl of steamed rice.

Good eating!

Labels: , ,

17 comments:

  1. KirkK said... 8/06/2007 10:41:00 PM

    Oooh sorry about the downsizing, that can be depressing. I'm glad you avoided the cut, but can understand the guilt involved. I enjoyed the photos, nice step by step instructions!  

  2. foodhoe said... 8/07/2007 08:19:00 AM

    dude, that looks awesome!  

  3. Greg said... 8/07/2007 12:19:00 PM

    Looks delicious! The pictures are awesome, too! Good work!  

  4. Deb said... 8/07/2007 06:03:00 PM

    Panda man! That looks incredible. Tofu is one of my favorite comfort foods. You can do just about anything to it and it always taste just right when it hits your mouth. Kat's got it made with her cookin hubby!  

  5. SteamyKitchen said... 8/07/2007 08:49:00 PM

    Such a nice detailed recipe - I love it!

    Sorry about the layoffs - may your friends find better opportunities.  

  6. Christine D. said... 8/07/2007 10:56:00 PM

    Wow, your soon dubu chigae looks so delicious! I hope that it cheered you up somewhat. This recipe is going into my list of "to makes"  

  7. Chef Ben said... 8/08/2007 11:33:00 AM

    Wow, that looks pretty good for a non-Korean. :) And I love the earthenware you use to cook and present it.  

  8. Doug said... 8/08/2007 02:29:00 PM

    good to see you're still on board and doing well. you must've lost some friends :(  

  9. Ben said... 8/08/2007 11:47:00 PM

    What a bummer about the downsizing. In the grand scheme of things, this will just be a bump on the road. Take your 70-200mm out and shoot some nice pics. That always work for me.
    Ben  

  10. elmomonster said... 8/09/2007 09:50:00 AM

    Man, sorry to hear about this. I can't say I don't have some worry about my company either. At a time like this, nothing like sundubu...I miss this dish. I gotta try your recipe.  

  11. Kathy said... 8/09/2007 01:09:00 PM

    That looks super awesome! I love ordering tofu stews in restaurants, but never thought to make it myself at home...Mrs. Chubbypanda must be darn lucky to have you! :)

    I'm glad you avoided the cut, though understand how you would still feel bad :(  

  12. Rasa Malaysia said... 8/09/2007 06:17:00 PM

    Beautiful pictures and a gorgeous dish, with clams! Sorry to hear about your company, chin up.  

  13. Professor Salt said... 8/09/2007 10:20:00 PM

    Downsizing sucks, been through that myself a couple times. Wash down the bitterness with garlic rich soondubu and speak your mind often during the next morning's executive board meeting.  

  14. polar said... 8/10/2007 09:27:00 PM

    wow.. looks pretty amazing~ my mouth is watering.. and i just ate dinner too. hope you are feeling better.  

  15. Chubbypanda said... 8/11/2007 01:02:00 AM

    Kirk,

    Well, on the bright side, we may eventually get jobs in San Diego and be closer to you. We're certainly looking all up and down the West Coast.

    Foodhoe,

    Thanks! Glad you like it.

    Greg,

    Hey bud. Hope you and the missus are ok. Any prospects?

    Deb,

    Awww... Thank you.

    Jaden,

    Thank you. That means a lot coming from a skilled cook like yourself.

    I hope so. We're all keeping our chins up.

    Christine,

    Let me know how it turns out! =)

    Chef Ben,

    It's a handicap, but I do my best. =b

    Doug,

    After that many years, everyone is a friend. But, that's life I suppose.

    Ben,

    You're right and I did. Check out the post I did after this one. I think I might have gone overboard with the pictures. =D

    Elmo,

    Korean tofu stew is a gift for the ages. Super mejor cool comfort food. ("Mejor" is Spanish for all you sticklers out there.)

    Kathy,

    Out, in, I'll take Korean soft tofu any way I can get it. =b

    Bee,

    Yay! Bee likes my photos! I really admire your's, so I appreciate the compliment even more when it comes from you.

    Prof,

    Not privy to the board meetings or I'd give them a piece of my mind. But, you're darned right about Soon Dubu being a good way to wash away bitterness.

    Polar,

    Thanks, buddy. I'm happy it meets with the approval of my favorite Korean food expert.

    - Chubbypanda  

  16. Anonymous said... 9/23/2007 11:30:00 PM

    Hi just wondering....
    Do you cook that straight from the stone pot or you cook them in the big pot then transfer them to the stone pot? Thanks  

  17. Chubbypanda said... 10/10/2007 11:52:00 AM

    Anon,

    You can cook it straight in the stone pot if you have the right type of stone pot and a gas stove, but not that many people do that. Since I'm currently cursed with an electric stove, I cooked the stew in a metal pot, then transferred it to the stone pot for serving. I heated the stone pot in the oven before putting the boiling stew in. I believe that's how most of the restaurants do it.

    - Chubbypanda  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)