Ever since I left Korea, I've had Korean food withdrawl. Really bad. I've tried to get this food at Korean restaurants in Calgary, but it's just not the same. You can see it's close, but not close enough. And it's expensive.
Yesterday Zatic said he was planning on making a dish he found a recipe for online - 순두부 찌개 (Sundubu Jjigae - Spicy tofu stew). It seemed like a good time as any to try cooking Korean food.
Here's the recipe: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/soondubu-jjigae It's got a video showing you exactly what to do. Because of that, I'm not going to detail the recipe, just mention some things I noticed while making it and any substitutions I made.
In Calgary at least, you should get everything you can at a "real" supermarket. Get the stuff that's specifically Korean at an asian supermarket. Everything is so expensive at the Korean market that I would never buy something like peppers there.
Korean Market: 순두부/Sundubu (Tofu), 고추가루/Gochugaru (Hot pepper flakes), 김/Kim (Dried, toasted seaweed). Everything else I got at a normal supermarket. I'm pretty sure you are supposed to use 다시마/Dashima (Kelp) but kim is more versatile for me so I bought that.
I couldn't find dried anchovies that weren't in a 5 pound packet or something ridiculous. As such I substituted anchovie paste.
Here's the pics and description:
Here's all the shit you need. I've heard stupid people saying they don't need a rice cooker because they can just make rice on the stove. You are stupid. Buy a rice cooker. If I was a real Korean I would have a stone pot or something but I don't so I used a normal pot. The kimchi is just simple store-bought stuff and it's pretty decent.
Close up on the ingredients. Mushrooms are shitake, pepper is a jalapeno.
That brick of ice is a "seafood medley". This is pretty key as you don't wanna spend $20 buying all this fresh seafood. This just has random clams, squid, octopuss, etc. that will help add some base to your stew. I also got cooked (I'm lazy) shrimp and fresh pacific clams. The clams are a nice touch and I really recommend you buy just a few.
Here's the sauces you need. You should have sesame oil but I couldn't find it / it's not usefull to me so I subbed olive oil. Kimchi isn't necessary it's just a side.
Rice cooker. If you don't have one and eat rice more than twice a year you are stupid. Go get one.
I use Nori because all Japanese products are superior to their inferior Korean counterparts. Substitute Japanese products for Korean whenever possible, including women.
Okay, got the stock boiling. I was supposed to add the Nori now but I forgot. It's probably better since kelp is thick and takes time to develop flavour, while nori is thin and would probably fall apart if I left it too long.
Ok, at this point you're supposed to use a stone pot and add the broth later. Because I just wanted to use the same pot I moved the broth to a bowl and it was business as usual.
Ok, rice time. Put the rice in, wash it if you want (the more you wash it the stickier it will be). Put your hand in and put the water up to your knuckles. Done! I learned this from an Asian and you know they make good rice!
You are supposed to just put the mushrooms and pepper flakes in by themselves, but I was worried it would burn up since the heat was so high. In her recipe she had the fat from the beef to stop the flakes from burning. I didn't use beef because it has no place in sundubu jjigae (for reals!). So I ladelled in some broth to keep it from burning. The recipe calls for 2-5 tsp of pepper flakes. I used 2 tbsps (6 tsp) and it seemed genuine (which is pretty hot). Adjust for how spicey you like it, but the stew is supposed to be spicey.
Terrible picture but it's trying to show I put in the clams at this point because they need actual time to cook. Don't eat a clam that hasn't opened from the boiling heat, obviously. Kim/Nori went in now too.
When the clams opened, I dumped the rest of the seafood in.
Boil baby!
In goes the sundubu. Just dump it in and slice it up in the pot with a spoon. Doesn't need to be fancy.
At this point I realized I didn't have enough stuff in the stew so I added more seafood medley and extra shrimp. You should have ingredients bursting out of the broth. This is a stew, not a soup.
In goes the green stuff. I left the pepper seeds in to add to the spice. Adjust accordingly for what you like.
Crack an egg (or two if you have more than one serving) into the stew. There's two schools of though here: Stir and don't stir. I have always stirred the egg so I decided not to stir it. To be honest it didn't really change anything so if you don't care about presentation (you're not trying to impress a girl / TL nerds) just stir it.
Tada! The taste is actually very genuine. I always heard Koreans going "I'm so happy! ^_^" (yes the face was in the quote) when they got to taste genuine Korean food and I always thought it's fucking weird. Now I can understand.
Okay, when you get to this point where it's mostly broth left, dump your extra rice in! This soaks up the spice and tastes so good.
Like this!
The end result. If you didn't use something to blow your nose you didn't make it right.
I use Nori because all Japanese products are superior to their inferior Korean counterparts. Substitute Japanese products for Korean whenever possible, including women.
Interesting. I don't know shit about Korean food and I plan on learning too cook soon, because I heard girls like that. Sucks because at my age they don't tho lol. Anyways, I agree 100% that Japan pussy> Korean pussy
Honestly, if you were interested in making any other Korean cuisine, you should invest in some proper ingredients, like dried anchovies (maelchi), dashima and sesame oil (chan girum)... Kim is nowhere near an acceptable substitute for Dashima, and for your claim that Japanese Nori is better than Kim... They have different flavours and textures and should be used for different things.
That being said, the textures and the flavours that each "seaweed" (Kim and Dashima) puts out are very different. I mean, the dashima is supposed to be a base for the broth, same with the dried anchovies. It's like the Korean equivalent to the mirepoix. Kim just kinda breaks up into a million little ugly black specks in a soup. It's good as a garnish for soups/stews but I would never, ever put them in as a base ingredient.
Olive oil? Instead of sesame oil? You must be insane; you might as well have just left out the oil. The flavour and aroma the sesame oil gives cannot be substituted for anything else. My mom used to extract her own sesame oil because it was something special.
What Korean market did you go to? Koreana or Arirang or what? I live in Calgary and I could probably show you how to make some legit Korean food.
Oh ya, and for the tofu... buy it cheaper from like, Superstore or Costco. I usually get the stuff in a blue package, I think the brand is sunrise or something.
On January 31 2010 15:00 HobbitGotGame wrote: That being said, the textures and the flavours that each "seaweed" (Kim and Dashima) puts out are very different. I mean, the dashima is supposed to be a base for the broth, same with the dried anchovies. It's like the Korean equivalent to the mirepoix. Kim just kinda breaks up into a million little ugly black specks in a soup. It's good as a garnish for soups/stews but I would never, ever put them in as a base ingredient.
Right, which is why I put it in at the end. I actually don't like the texture of kelp in soup so I'm happy taking it out
Olive oil? Instead of sesame oil? You must be insane; you might as well have just left out the oil. The flavour and aroma the sesame oil gives cannot be substituted for anything else. My mom used to extract her own sesame oil because it was something special.
I have no need for sesame oil as it's only really used in asian cuisine. I only used the oil to keep the mushrooms from burning when they were first put in the empty pot.
What Korean market did you go to? Koreana or Arirang or what? I live in Calgary and I could probably show you how to make some legit Korean food.
Arirang. Not sure what you mean by legit but okay.
Oh ya, and for the tofu... buy it cheaper from like, Superstore or Costco. I usually get the stuff in a blue package, I think the brand is sunrise or something.
Okay thanks I'll take a look for it next time. I don't plan on ever using it again unless I make this dish anyways though.
I use Nori because all Japanese products are superior to their inferior Korean counterparts. Substitute Japanese products for Korean whenever possible, including women.
...I was just about to order pizza when I saw this. Argh. Looks really nice.
Like someone mentioned, Superstore does sell cheap tofu, but I'm not sure how good is it. TnT (The Chinese Superstore?) is where my relatives do their grocery shopping. Look for the brand, "Sunrise". Oh, just noticed the guy mentioned Sunrise too, so there you go!
wow....this was nice and detailed. thanks for the effort/taking all the pictures. I am planning on taking a job in Korea very soon and am glad I have this to look forward to. yumm
Chill learning the ways of Korea. This is what makes him so gosu. I like how you emphasize buying a rice cooker and how to cook rice, since asians would pretty much have one and know the trick. Addressing all audiences.
On January 31 2010 15:11 Chill wrote: Right, which is why I put it in at the end. I actually don't like the texture of kelp in soup so I'm happy taking it out
No, don't leave it in. Boil the kelp and anchovies for a while, then when there's a good colour to the broth, drain it out. I hate the slimy, slightly chewy texture of the dashima and the rough texture of the anchovies as well.
I have no need for sesame oil as it's only really used in asian cuisine. I only used the oil to keep the mushrooms from burning when they were first put in the empty pot.
I really don't understand why you wouldn't bother spending a couple bucks on a small bottle of sesame oil. It keeps almost indefinitely, and it just keeps your options open for making your food more authentic when it calls for it, instead of substituting. I figure you'll make this dish sometime again down the road, especially since you know how to now. IMO, the investment is worth it.
Arirang. Not sure what you mean by legit but okay.
Legit as in cook the way my korean momma would. Beats the crappy Korean restaurants in Calgary any day.
Okay thanks I'll take a look for it next time. I don't plan on ever using it again unless I make this dish anyways though.
There are so many tasty things you can make with tofu, and I'm not even a vegetarian. I've come to really love that shit.
On January 31 2010 15:11 Chill wrote: Right, which is why I put it in at the end. I actually don't like the texture of kelp in soup so I'm happy taking it out
No, don't leave it in. Boil the kelp and anchovies for a while, then when there's a good colour to the broth, drain it out. I hate the slimy, slightly chewy texture of the dashima and the rough texture of the anchovies as well.
I have no need for sesame oil as it's only really used in asian cuisine. I only used the oil to keep the mushrooms from burning when they were first put in the empty pot.
I really don't understand why you wouldn't bother spending a couple bucks on a small bottle of sesame oil. It keeps almost indefinitely, and it just keeps your options open for making your food more authentic when it calls for it, instead of substituting. I figure you'll make this dish sometime again down the road, especially since you know how to now. IMO, the investment is worth it.
But anytime I eat Korean food I eat a buttload of kimchi...then my mom makes me stick my head out the window when I get in her car for a week. So no way can I cook this at home. She'd kill me just cause of the delicious smell.
Personally I find the smell of kimchi appetizing, but I can imagine how it's pungency can get to people. I'm glad my girlfriend likes the stuff though, or else I'd have to find someone new.
you should be able to get a little bottle of sesame oil at Safeway, likely in the Asian food section. btw in the spirit of substituting japanese for korean you might like to try Mirin (delicious seasoning). not sure how well it'd work in this particular recipe but you can usually add it to just about anything. I like putting it in salad dressing.
anyway great guide! definitely going to try this sometime.
Mirin's a little different; IIRC it has a bit of a sweeter taste to it, and to my experience, Korean cuisine has never really featured sweetness as a prominent taste group. I've ever only really used mirin when making Tamago... but I think it's used as seasoning/condiment in quite a few other Japanese dishes as well. A possibility that comes to mind would be something like udon...
Very nice Chill ... I'll invite you over for dinner sometime after a Calgary LAN. They opened a new place downtown (Mal-Lee-Jang-Sa) but I heard their food tastes like shit so I would say the best place for Korean food like Jam-Pong and Ja-Pa-Gae-Ti would be ... DonDay.
DON'T go to SanDongManJum, that place had like crap in their food a couple months ago and had to close for like 6 months, so I don't really trust that place. lol
substituting japanese products for korean products in cooking "authentic" korean food? that is just travesty and you are going to end up with some weird fusion
oh fack... korean food sounds sooo good right now. In fact, probably a year ago i hated asian food and was so tired of it... then i had only korean food for a whole week and i actually like asian food again >_<. so hungry now...
I use Nori because all Japanese products are superior to their inferior Korean counterparts. Substitute Japanese products for Korean whenever possible, including women.
On January 31 2010 14:47 micronesia wrote: I'll be honest, I have no interest in making that food but I'm very impressed by the delivery here. Also, lol @ ring in food you are cooking :p
oh yes plz Chill, next time dont wear a ring when cooking.... is that some Korean secret I mean does it give the rice a sexy flavor....
my big question is - what "red pepper flakes" did you use? was that crushed red pepper? because when i made something similar long time ago and dropped 3( or 4?) tablespoons AND added jalapeno it became insanely hot, 3x hotter than hot udon soup at a korean joint. Still ate it, but i cried while at it.
On January 31 2010 16:40 kOre wrote: Very nice Chill ... I'll invite you over for dinner sometime after a Calgary LAN. They opened a new place downtown (Mal-Lee-Jang-Sa) but I heard their food tastes like shit so I would say the best place for Korean food like Jam-Pong and Ja-Pa-Gae-Ti would be ... DonDay.
DON'T go to SanDongManJum, that place had like crap in their food a couple months ago and had to close for like 6 months, so I don't really trust that place. lol
Ja-Pa-Gae-Ti (or Chapagetti)? Isn't that the crappy instant-ramen version of jjajjangmyun?
My parents used to be good friends with the owners of Korean Village, but that place closed. In lieu of it, I think the best Korean restaurants (and I use the term "best" loosely) are Sura and Dae Jang Gum. I hear Marijangsa or whatever is terrible, and when I saw the decor when going past it on the train, it looked terrible.
If you're looking for more uses of sesame oil, a really nice and simple treat is fresh steamed white rice, mixed with some soy sauce and sesame oil. Then if you want get some fresh kim chi and it's sooooo delicious.
Which korean restaurant is the one with the $10 lunch specials is it good? some friends recommended me the place i think it's close to northland mall or something like that
ya how dare u wear a ring while cooking and while ur at it go buy 10 hand sanitizer dispensers and put them all over ur house at all time world is a scary place
On January 31 2010 16:40 kOre wrote: Very nice Chill ... I'll invite you over for dinner sometime after a Calgary LAN. They opened a new place downtown (Mal-Lee-Jang-Sa) but I heard their food tastes like shit so I would say the best place for Korean food like Jam-Pong and Ja-Pa-Gae-Ti would be ... DonDay.
DON'T go to SanDongManJum, that place had like crap in their food a couple months ago and had to close for like 6 months, so I don't really trust that place. lol
Ja-Pa-Gae-Ti (or Chapagetti)? Isn't that the crappy instant-ramen version of jjajjangmyun?
My parents used to be good friends with the owners of Korean Village, but that place closed. In lieu of it, I think the best Korean restaurants (and I use the term "best" loosely) are Sura and Dae Jang Gum. I hear Marijangsa or whatever is terrible, and when I saw the decor when going past it on the train, it looked terrible.
If you're looking for more uses of sesame oil, a really nice and simple treat is fresh steamed white rice, mixed with some soy sauce and sesame oil. Then if you want get some fresh kim chi and it's sooooo delicious.
The Korean Village in downtown is closed? Thats the only place i eat korean food. =/ (for the korean BBQ)
Wish i could try it out, finding the ingredients shouldn't be too hard but i can't even operate the fucking microwave because it has 1000000 buttons and it's all Japanese...
cool, i love sundubu. funny to read all the people who would never try this...missing out on all the great tastes of korean cuisine. i guess hot dogs can be pretty good sometimes.
On January 31 2010 19:42 Gao Xi wrote: The Korean Village in downtown is closed? Thats the only place i eat korean food. =/ (for the korean BBQ)
Ya last time I heard. I haven't been down to confirm it myself, but I heard it was because the Mustard Seed (who owned the property) kicked out all the businesses running on that block of land there, in order to make another shelter or something.
I used 4 real spoons of pepper flakes. Serving for 2 though but it was pretty spicy. And yeah, you are right, it tasted surprisingly genuine and you really do feel good after haha.
Oh I just saw you used the kelp leaves used for sushi right? I did that the first time I tried sundubu but it's soo much better with just sea weed not this roasted stuff.
I use Nori because all Japanese products are superior to their inferior Korean counterparts. Substitute Japanese products for Korean whenever possible, including women.
waaaat? idk about the products but how can u say dat =(
Wow I'm korean and that made my mouth drool throughout the whole instruction process lol. Actually the way you made it, i like it better than my mom's. REally well done Chill
There's a Korean place down the block from my college. I finally stopped in there for lunch the other day and ordered Kimchi jjigae. I had just been to a Korean BBQ joint a week ago and really wanted to try it, but was already so full with all the other stuff I ate. Wow, it was amazing; I've been craving it since I ate it three or four days ago. Only bad thing about it is it wasn't spicy enough. I think they went easy on me because I was white, even though I said I wanted it spicy.
Anyhow, it really made me think of this blog, and in turn this blog has inspired me to make it within the next week or so. This blog deserves a bump anyway, everyone should be exposed to Chill's leet cooking skills. I hope my dish turns out half as good as this looks.
I'd really like to try to make this but the problem is where I live finding kelp/kim/whatever is impossible. Is there anthing more accessible that I can sub in?
Also I assume I can just use cayenne powder or some chilli powder in place of gochugaru, right?
Thanks, Chill! :D I skipped the kelp (I couldn't find our wakame), anchovies and garnish but went with extra tofu (med & soft), beef and fresh shrimp, scallops and squid, and threw in dried shrimp and fish balls to help the broth.
I also made Dubu buchim yangnyumjang to go with it.
On September 13 2010 11:32 Jibba wrote: So I made this tonight.
Thanks, Chill! :D I skipped the kelp (I couldn't find our wakame), anchovies and garnish but went with extra tofu (med & soft), beef and fresh shrimp, scallops and squid, and threw in dried shrimp and fish balls to help the broth.
I also made Dubu buchim yangnyumjang to go with it.
I should have mentioned this when I actually made it, but a while ago I used these instructions. I didn't have all the right ingredients but it was still yummy
On January 31 2010 14:42 Chill wrote: I use Nori because all Japanese products are superior to their inferior Korean counterparts. Substitute Japanese products for Korean whenever possible, including women.
On September 14 2010 01:19 Chill wrote: Got all the stuff at home and the standard Korean coming over to help.
I could've used one of those for the grocery trip. The main reason I had to skip the anchovy paste was cause I had no idea where to find it. Our asian grocery store is almost entirely Japanese stuff with a bit of Chinese (staffed by MexicansLOL), so I was just walking around examining every type of product in hopes of finding it like a lost white guy.
Chill where I live there is an Asian food grocery store. It's huge, authentic and the sheer amount of stuff (not just food) is mind boggling. I've had this type of soup before at a Korean restaurant so now I'm eager to try an authentic home made version.
man.. I just had a friend move here to Ontario with his family from korea... I kinda take it for granted when I go over there and eat the Korean food that they prepare.. I think I'll actually give making this a try and see how it goes. Thanks Chill :D
So I went out to eat at House OF Teriyaki, a Korean restaurant here in Amherst MA, and saw something really familiar on the menu but I couldn't put my tongue on it.. SunDubu! I ordered it, with an option of Vegetable or Seafood and mild or spicy. I chose seafood with spicy :D
it is delicious. I don't think it's as genuine as the way prepared in your OP Recipe, but it definitely hit the spot for me. I would take some rice on a spoon, take a chunk from the stew on the spoon too and eat. Repeat, and yummyyyyyyyy
EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/4.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/5.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/6.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/7.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/8.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/9.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/10.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/11.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/12.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/13.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/14.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/15.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/16.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/17.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/18.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/19.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/20.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/21.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/22.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/23.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/24.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Chill/25.jpg)
You best go to blizzcon btw
![[image loading]](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs215.ash2/47825_1608605176442_1275573581_31673538_2627344_n.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs631.snc4/59119_1608606176467_1275573581_31673540_95759_n.jpg)
