Here's the recipe for a staple Korean dish, soondubu (or soft tofu stew)! Many restaurants actually specialize in this dish alone, and they offer many different varieties of the dish, allowing you to choose between seafood, meat, kimchi, clear broth, etc. My favorite kind is with kimchi and pork so that's what I used here, but feel free to substitute with seafood, beef, or other protein (or just keep it vegetarian!). Again, like most dishes that require cooking with kimchi, this dish will taste better the more fermented/sour the kimchi is!
Read Morebacon & cheese kimchi fried rice
Here is a quick and delicious dinner idea that's ideal for using up any leftovers you have in the fridge. I love fried rice, because you can pretty much use any combination of ingredients that you're in the mood for, and it'll turn out great! You may also use any type of rice (as you can see in the pictures, instead of plain white rice, I used Indian basmati rice, since that's what I needed to use up), but just remember-- the key to good fried rice is to use rice that's at least a day old. If you use fresh rice, it will be too wet (think of all the water you put in the rice cooker!), and it will not turn into fried rice. I adapted this recipe from the incredibly talented Chef David Chang, the mastermind behind the Momofuku restaurants, and chose to also add cheese to it, but feel free to substitute with any ingredients of your choice. Another key to good fried rice is to keep the heat on high and to cook the ingredients in batches!
Read Morekimchi jjigae with pork (kimchi stew) (돼지고기 김치찌개)
One of the most popular stews/jjigae in Korea...! There's many, many variations of Kimchi Jjigae- vegetarian that includes tofu or silken tofu, or with tuna, seafood, beef, sausage, ham, or pork--! I guess that just shows how much Koreans love kimchi, and how this spicy ingredient is so versatile and complements a wide variety of other ingredients. My favorite type of kimchi jjigae is with pork-- the hearty pork balances nicely with the light tofu, and contributes a wonderful flavor to the overall dish. I used pork tenderloin, but you can use really any cut of pork that is tender (I've used pork neck several times before). I usually include rice cakes to add another starchy element to the stew, but if you don't have it on hand, you may omit it. This jjigae tastes better when you use overly ripe, sour kimchi, so don't throw away that kimchi that's sitting in your fridge, but use it to make stew!
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