Korean Seafood Soft Tofu Stew (Haemul Sundubu Jjigae)

When you binge on Korean dramas like I do, it's inevitable that you'll crave Korean food. They sure know how to make it look super yummy! My favorite Korean food is their stews, particularly kimchi and soft tofu stew. Not only do you get to enjoy a bubbling hot cauldron of spicy deliciousness, you also get a complimentary steam facial. Smooth skin while eating a widely popular Korean comfort food? Yes, please!

Korean Seafood Soft Tofu Stew (Haemul Sundubu Jjigae)

Soft Tofu Stew or Sundubu Jjigae is made with really ripe and sour kimchi and a rich anchovy-based broth. The broth is flavored with soy sauce, Korean red pepper flakes (Gochugaru) and Korean hot pepper paste (Gochujang). You can add pork, beef, and/or seafood for different varieties. The stew is cooked and served in an earthenware stone bowl and usually topped with mushrooms, green onions and a raw egg to cook in the bubbling hot liquid. In Korean restaurants, you also get a side of fluffy steamed rice, along with the various other Korean pickled side dishes known as Banchan.

Korean Seafood Soft Tofu Stew (Haemul Sundubu Jjigae)

What fascinates me the most about Korean stew is the amazing capability of the stone bowl to retain heat. Korean restaurants really should have warning signs on how hot the stews are when they arrived. My first time having Sundubu Jjigae, I almost scorched my tongue to smithereens with the piping hot broth. But it was OK. I powered through it. I bathed my tongue in ice water and finished it off. At the end of the meal, I was literally dripping in sweat but it was oh so worth it.

For the below Seafood Soft Tofu recipe, I used store-bought chicken stock instead of the traditional anchovy stock. The reason being I can't find store-bought anchovy stock easily here. Also, when I make it from scratch, it is really bitter and I'm not sure why that is. Traditional anchovy stock is made with kelp and dried anchovies. I think I might be using too much kelp or too much dried anchovies. I don't know. To make it simpler on myself, I use chicken stock. In the end, you couldn't even tell the difference *high five*.

Korean Seafood Soft Tofu Stew (Haemul Sundubu Jjigae)

Quick and Easy Korean Seafood Soft Tofu Stew Recipe (Haemul Sundubu Jjigae)

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup minced yellow or white onion
• 1 packed cup aged kimchi (cut into bite-size pieces)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoons Korean red pepper paste (Gochujang)
• 2 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (Gochugaru)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar or mirin
• 1 package soft tofu (cut into cubes)
• Handful large prawns and/or clams (4-6 each)
• 1 small bunch mushroom of your choice (slice large mushrooms)
• 2 eggs
• 1 green onion (thinly slice)

Instructions

1. On the bottom of medium-sized pot, perferably stone earthenware, clay, or cast-iron, heat up the vegetable oil on medium-high.
2. Add garlic and onions. Saute until fragrant.
3. Add kimchi. Saute until limp.
4. Add chicken stock and bring the pot to a boil. Season with red pepper paste, flakes, soy sauce and sugar/mirin. Adjust level of spiciness as needed.
5. Add tofu, prawns, clams, mushrooms and crack 2 eggs on top. Bring pot back to boil. Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Spare Ribs (Suon Khia or Suon Ram Man)

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Spare Ribs (Suon Khia or Suon Ram Man) is a classic Vietnamese side dish. Without it (or a similar side dish), a Vietnamese home-cooked meal is incomplete. In this dish, the pork spare rib is slowly braised in coconut juice until fall-of-the-bone tender. The liquid is then cooked off at the end, reducing to a sweet and savory glaze. I enjoyed this dish very much as a child. Because pork spare rib was a luxury item back then, we didn't have this dish too often. When we did, we savored the the dish by gnawing on the bones and licking our fingers clean. Now, when no one's looking, lets be honest, I still do the same. Enjoy the video recipe up top and written recipe below =)

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Spareribs (Suon Khia)

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Spare Ribs Recipe

Serves 3-5

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork spare ribs (have your butcher cut them against the bone into long strips so that you can cut them into bite-size pieces at home)
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 medium size shallot (minced)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon pork stock powder
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and additional 2 tablespoons for the caramel sauce
• 3/4 cup water or coconut juice
• 1 green onion (optional; thinly slice)

Instructions

1. Fill a small pot with water (enough to cover the spareribs when added). Add salt. Bring the water to a boil. To the boiling water, add pork. Blanch the pork for 2-3 minutes. This will remove the impurities and off-smell of pork.
2. Drain the ribs in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water.
3. Marinate the pork with shallot, garlic, pork stock powder, fish sauce, black pepper and sugar. Let the pork marinate at least 15 minutes (overnight in fridge for best results).
4. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar directly into a medium size pot over medium high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent burning. The sugar will caramelize, turning a dark amber color. Once this happens, quickly and carefully add the marinated pork (and all the marinade juices) into the pot and stir evenly to get the amber color onto the pork. The caramelized sugar may start to clump. Do not worry. The heat will dissolve the clumps of sugar back into the pot.
5. Add water or coconut juice and bring pot to a boil. 
6. Cover the pot with a lid (a little off-center to allow for steam to escape), turn the heat to the lowest setting and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Occasionally toss the pork for even cooking. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to simmer on low for 20 more minutes. The liquid in the pot will evaporate off leaving a shiny glaze on the pork. 
7. Transfer the pork to a serving platter and garnish with green onion and a sprinkle of black pepper.