11 recipes. Page 1 of 1
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The silken tofu here stays in big, soft spoonfuls instead of dissolving into the rice. It goes in only once the porridge is done and is barely stirred after that. The rice and shiitake are first toasted in perilla oil, then simmered in kelp stock.
As soon as the clams open, soft tofu is spooned in with a large spoon and left alone. The curds soak up the clam broth in soft lumps; stirring hard breaks them down and clouds the soup white. Seasoned with soup soy sauce and no chili, it is not spicy at all.
The soft tofu slowly comes apart in the broth until the whole pot is silky, with crisp bits of young cabbage stem in between. Only a touch of gochujang goes into the doenjang, so it tastes savory more than spicy.
Soft tofu spooned in large pieces stays in tender curds within the anchovy broth, sliding down alongside the knife-cut noodles. It is added only after the noodles are done and barely stirred, since any real stirring breaks it into small bits. The broth tastes clean and mild, seasoned only with soup soy sauce, garlic and salt and no chili. A minute of simmering after seasoning takes the raw edge off the garlic, and skimming the foam keeps the broth clear. The noodles are loosened by hand and scattered in rather than dropped as one mass. Zucchini half-moons cook for just 2 minutes to keep their shape and color.
Think of soft tofu stew (sundubu jjigae) made with just a cup of broth and poured straight over rice. Pork belly is cooked first so gochugaru and garlic can bloom in its fat, which gives the small amount of broth its heat. An egg cracked into the center and cooked only until the white just sets adds a soft, rich finish.
Garlic and chili flakes, given 30 seconds in sesame oil, turn the broth a deep red, and in it large spoonfuls of soft tofu wobble alongside plump oysters.
Gochugaru and soup soy sauce are used lightly here, and twelve sliced perilla leaves go in right before the heat is cut, letting the herb come through ahead of the chili. For a richer broth, add a teaspoon of perilla seed powder.
The same soft tofu as in sundubu-jjigae goes in here, but with no chili flakes or chili paste the broth stays clear. Big spoonfuls of tofu are slipped in and left unstirred, and the heating stops once they tremble on a spoon.
Springy pieces of octopus (nakji) turn up between soft curds of tofu. The egg goes in after the heat is off; break the yolk into the broth and the spice mellows.
The gochujang is stirred into the stock rather than fried in the oil, so there is no scorched edge and the broth comes out an even orange. Clams and shrimp layer their sea flavor over the anchovy stock.
Ground pork fried with chili flakes in sesame oil makes the red oil that sets the flavor, and clams add a clean, briny note. Brought to the table in its earthenware pot (ttukbaegi), it keeps bubbling for a good while.