Korean Spicy Tofu Stew Soondubu jjigae

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1. 1 palm size dried kelp (Dashima) (you can substitute with chicken or potato and carrot to make stock)
2. 8 dried anchovies (optional)
3. 1/2 onion (for stock)
4. 1/2 onion (for stir-frying)
5. 2 cloves garlic minced
6. 100g beef sliced (I use rib-eye steak) or pork belly sliced
7. 3 shiitake mushrooms quartered
8. 2 leaves Chinese cabbage cut
9. 1/4 zucchini chopped (optional)
10. 4 leaves of xia bai cai (optional)
11. 1 TBS sesame oil (you can also use canola cooking oil)
12. 1 tube of Korean soon du bu tofu (350g)
13. 1 TBS Korean red chili pepper powder
14. 1 TBS Korean gochugaru red chili pepper paste
15. 2 frozen prawns
16. 1 cup mixed seafood (optional)
17. 1 stalk of spring onions chopped for garnish (optional)
18. 1 green chili sliced for garnish (optional)
19. 1 red chili sliced for garnish (optional)
20. 2 eggs (optional)
21. Salt & pepper to taste
22. 1.5 litre water

Directions:
1. Prepare stock by bringing to boil a pot of 1.5 litre of water with 1/2 onion, 3 dried shitake mushrooms, dried kelp and 8 dried anchovies and boil it over high heat for 10 minutes. Lower to medium heat and boil for another 20 minutes. Set aside the stock and mushrooms and discard the rest.
2. Heat Wok/ttuk-bae-gi, add 1 TBS of sesame oil.
3. Add garlic and fry until golden.
4. Add onion and fry until golden.
5. Add beef and fry until brown.
6. Slice shiitake mushrooms into quarters, add and fry until fragrant.
7. Add 4 TBS of hot pepper flakes, stir and coat well for 1 minute.
8. Add zucchini and coat well.
9. Add 1 litre (4 cups) stock. It will sizzle. Bring to boil.
10. Add Soon du bu (soft Tofu) and break it into smaller chunks with a spoon in the pot.
11. When it boils, add mixed seafood and prawns (optional)
12. Add xiao bai cai (optional)
13. Add salt & pepper to taste or for extra spiciness, add the Chinese chili oil.
14. When the broth boils, crack in the eggs. Turn off the fire and let the eggs cook in the hot broth.
15. Garnish with spring onions, green chili and red chili.
16. Drizzle some sesame oil (optional) and serve with rice :-)

Additional Information:
It is autumn in Denmark, and the weather has turned cold. This is the time when I crave hot soup.A bowl of Korean tofu stew broth is very warming and comforting.

References:
http://crazykoreancooking.com/recipe/soondubu
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/soondubu-jjigae
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sundubu-jjigae
http://www.koreanbapsang.com/2015/01/kimchi-soondubu-jjigae-soft-tofu-stew-kimchi.html
http://hipfoodiemom.com/2013/02/24/korean-food-soft-tofu-soup-soondubu-jjigae-for-sundaysupper/
https://youtu.be/BvZ9m3Bikuw
https://youtu.be/2HCwhBptOnA
https://youtu.be/WDAnEilsOUQ

Here are the main ingredients all chopped up: 

Clockwise: Squash, enoki mushrooms, frozen prawns, Chinese xiao bai cai, tofu, beef rib-eyed, red and green chili, eggs, king oyster mushrooms, onions, spring onions and garlic.

You can get the organic soft silky tofu from the Danish organic store Urtehuset. It costs 44.95 DKK per pack of 400g.

Here are the ingredients to make the stock. If you don't have the ingredients, you can use chicken stock instead.

Here are the seasonings required.

This is the extra-spicy Korean red chili pepper paste gochugaru.

This is the spicy Korean red chili pepper paste gochugaru.

Korean red chili pepper powder

Add Chiu Chow Chili oil for extra spiciness.

Bring to boil a pot with 1 litre of water.

Add dried kelp.

Add 3 shiitake mushrooms.

Add 1/2 garlic.

Cover and boil on high heat for 10 mins. Then reduce to low heat (no. 2.5 on my stove) and simmer for 20 mins.

The stock is done :-) Set aside the stock and mushrooms, and discard the rest of the ingredients.

Cut the shiitake mushrooms into quarters.

Heat wok with 1 TBS sesame oil.

Add garlic and fry until golden.

Add onion and fry until golden.

Add 100g beef and fry until brown.

Add shiitake mushrooms and fry until fragrant.

Add king oyster mushrooms and fry until fragrant (optional, I happened to have some leftover at home)

Add TBS red chili pepper paste.

Coat the ingredients well.

Add zucchini and coat well.

Add stock. It will sizzle a little.

Add enoki mushrooms (optional).

When the broth boils, add 1 package of tofu.

Break it into smaller pieces with your frying ladle and bring to boil.

When the broth boils, add 2 prawns.

Add xiao bai cai (optional).

Add green and red chili.

Add half of the spring onions.

If you like it even more spicy, you can add the Chinese chili oil (optional).

Add 2 eggs, and off the fire, or you can add the eggs later in the serving bowls.

Divide into 2 serving bowls. If you have not crack an egg earlier, crack in an egg now. Sprinkle some green and red chili and spring onions. Serve with rice and enjoy :-)

Japanese Ramen Noodle Soup 日本拉麺

Adapted from Just One Cookbook

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1. 2 portions of ramen
2. 150g pork belly sliced in strips
3. 1 inch ginger grated
4. 2 cloves of garlic minced
5. 2 shiitake mushrooms sliced thinly
6. 2 king oyster mushrooms sliced thinly
7. 50g or 1 bunch of enoki mushrooms loosened
8. 50g or a handful of bean sprouts (optional)
9. 2 leaves of xiao bai cai (optional)
10. 2 tiger prawns
11. 2 eggs (荷包蛋 he bao dan)
12. 1 TBS sasame oil.
13. 1 TBS spicy chili bean paste (la doubanjiang)
14. 1 TBS sake (optional)
15. 1 TBS Mentsuyu
16. 1 TBS Japanese rice vinegar
17. 1 tsp. miso paste
18. 1 tsp. soya sauce
19. 1 litre of water or homemade stock
20. 1 stalk spring onions chopped for garnish (optional)
21. A handful of Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (optional)
22. 1 tsp. Chiu Chow Chilli oil (optional)

Directions:
1. Meanwhile, fry eggs, drain away excess oil and set aside.
2. Heat wok with sesame oil over medium high heat, add garlic and ginger and fry until golden.
3. Add spicy chili bean paste (la doubanjiang), stir and mix well.
4. Add the meat and fry until cooked.
5. Add the shiitake, king oyster mushrooms and enoki mushrooms and fry until cooked.
6. Add sake, Mentsuyu and water and bring to a boil for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates.
7. Add 1 litre water/stock. It will sizzle. for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates.
8. Add add miso paste, soy sauce and Japanese rice vinegar.
9. Add tiger prawns, remove from broth when it is cooked (it turns red) and set aside.
10. Add bean sprouts and xiao bai cai, cook for 30 seconds, remove from broth and set aside.
11. Concurrently, boil a separate pot of water and cook noodles according to package instructions, drain and portion into 2 large bowls.
12. Add toppings i.e. 1 prawn, 1 egg, mushrooms and vegetables (beansprouts and xiaobaicai) into each bowl.
13. Pour in the hot broth into the bowls.
14. Garnish with spring onions and bonito flakes and serve hot :-)
15. If you like it extra spicy, add chilli oil into your noodle soup

Additional Information:
Actually Ramen is a Chinese dish introduced by the Chinese immigrants in Japan. It means 拉麺 (la mian) in Chinese. It is also called 大碗面 (big bowl noodle) in Chinese. But it has become known to be a Japanese dish known as Japanese Ramen. We tried this for the first time today. It's wonderful to have a bowl of hot Ramen noodle soup during the cold and wet autumn.

I reduce the meat from 250g to 150g, because I think it is too much meat. I added more vegetables to the noodle soup, because I love vegetables and it is healthier. I also increase the water/stock, because I love soup.

References:
http://www.justonecookbook.com/tsukemen-dipping-noodles/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen

Main ingredients

Seasonings

You can buy pork belly from Netto for 69 DKK for 1.2 kg.

Prepare the eggs. I like mine done like 荷包蛋 Chinese Pocket Egg.

Heat wok with sesame oil over medium high heat

Add garlic.

 Add ginger and fry until golden.

Add spicy chili bean paste (la doubanjiang).

Stir and mix well.

Add the meat.

Fry until cooked.

Add the shiitake mushrooms.

Add the king oyster mushrooms.

Break loose, add the enoki mushrooms and fry until cooked (very fast).

5. Add 1 TBS sake (optional, I didn't add it here) and 1 TBS Mentsuyu.

Add 1 litre of water. It will sizzle.

  

or add homemade stock. Since I have some left-over stock today, I use a mixture of water and stock. Don't worry, if you don't have stock. As the bean paste is very savory, this dish will still taste good, even if it is not made from stock.

Bring to a boil for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates.

Add 1 tsp. soy sauce.

Add 1 tsp. miso paste.

Add 1 TBS Japanese rice vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes under low heat.

Add tiger prawns, remove from soup when it is cooked (it turns red) and set aside. 

Add bean sprouts.

Add xiao bai cai, cook for 30 seconds or until just done, quickly remove from soup and set aside. Don't overcook the vegetables.

You can add in the noodles at this time into the soup, especially if you are using fresh noodles, and cook for 1 minutes or until the noodles are done. 

OR

You can while making the soup, boil a separate pot of water concurrently for the noodles. If I have the time, I prefer to cook the noodles separately to remove any wax or preservatives that come with packet noodles.

When water boils, cook noodles.

Once noodles is cooked, drain and divide portions into two serving bowls.

Add toppings of egg, prawns and vegetables.

Pour in the hot soup and garnish with spring onions and bonito flakes. Serve hot :-)

If you like it extra spicy, add 1-2 tsp of chilli oil into your soup.

Our Little FECS (6Y7M6D) enjoying his bowl of Japanese Ramen :-)