Kimchi Sundubu Jjigae (Spicy Soft Tofu Stew with Kimchi and Pork)

Welcome to another week of my adventures in Korean cooking! This week I decided to go with a dish that has always captivated me. I think it is so cool that this dish is served bubbling. It's also spicy, delicious and the perfect go to dish. I had the fortune of tasting this dish at BCD Tofu House on Saturday. Normally when I cook it is the first time I am both cooking and tasting the dish. I enjoy it when I can taste a dish prepared by someone familiar with this style of cooking. It helps me to gauge how I well my dishes come out. I can tell you, this one turned out great!
This week on the playlist we have two songs that make me want to dance! I love to dance and music is very important when it comes to setting the tone of the dance. I really enjoy Kpop because the music always has the most amazing beat and it is one of my go-to's for dancing. The first song is by none other than the amazing BOA. She is so beautiful, talented and an amazing dancer. A friend of mine introduced me to this song and I am so thankful. BOA is amazing and this video showcases just how awesome she is. The song is Eat You Up. This song has all the great elements of a Kpop song but the lyrics are in English. I appreciate this because I love understand the words in a song and knowing what it is about. The dancing in this video is phenomenal. I think anyone who loves to dance will appreciate the choreography. The next song is If You Do by GOT7. I really enjoy the dancing in this video. I love how they use movement to convey the emotions of the lyrics. The music is emotional yet upbeat and I love it. But I will admit that I get frustrated with the girl that is the subject of the song. If a girl says "It's up to you if you want to break up. I don't care.  Just do whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me. I'll just go to sleep." That person is manipulative and please break up with them.
Now it's time for some stew! Are you ready? I got this recipe from Maangchi.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup anchovy stock (You find the recipe here)

2 tablespoons hot pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon vegetable oil.

1/2 cup ground pork or pork belly

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 cup well-fermented kimchi, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 tube of soft tofu (sundubu)

1 egg

Step 1.

Combine the red pepper flakes and sesame oil in a small bowl.

Step 2. 

Heat up a 3 cup earthenware pot on the stove over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Step 3.

Add the vegetable oil, onion and garlic. Stir and allow to cook for 1 minute.

Step 4.

Add the pork and allow to cook until the pork is no longer pink.

Step 5.

Add the kimchi and allow everything to cook for 1 minute. 

Step 6.

Add the 1/2 cup anchovy stock. Cover and allow this to cook for 7 minutes over medium heat.

Step 7.

Add the salt and sugar and mix well.

Step 8.

Add the soft tofu to the pot. Gently break it up with a wooden spoon.

Step 9.

Add the hot pepper mixture and spread it with a spoon.

Step 10.

Crack the egg onto the stew. Let it bubble and sizzle for 1 minute.

Just sprinkle with some green onions and it is ready to serve with some rice! I think this is one of my favorite dishes that I've made. Although there are lots of steps it's not too hard to make. It is so delicious and I imagine that I will make it a lot more. Thank you for joining me on my adventure. If there are any dishes that you think I should make please leave them in the comments. I look forward to seeing you next week for another adventure. 

XOXO,

Rachel 

Dwaejigogi-bokkeum (Spicy Stir-Fried Pork) and Japgokbap (muligrain rice)

It is another glorious Sunday and time for another delicious recipe. This week I have two recipes for you. They are both rather simple and go great together. Japgokbap involves black rice and turns out a beautiful purple color. Who wouldn't want to eat purple rice? I think it's wonderful and adds beauty to any dish. Dwaejigogi-bokkeum is rather spicy but oh so delicious. So if you are not a fan of spicy food I would avoid this one. I have also been working on something new for the blog so keeps your eyes peeled in the coming weeks. It's something I think you will all enjoy. I also plan on doing more posts about beauty and skincare products. If you have a product that you love please let me know in the comments so I can try it out :)
This week on my playlist are two of my favorite men. G-Dragon and T.O.P. They are extremely talented and amazing lyricists. Plus all the music they make is awesome! I've been listening to their collaboration album GD & TOP The First Album, I know such a clever name. I promise their lyrics are far more inventive. The first song on the list is Knock Out. This song is fun and upbeat. It has many elements of normal hip hop songs in that much of the lyrics are them bragging about themselves to girls. But it's different in that although they are bragging they still discuss being lonely and not having as much luck in love as one might think. It's easy for many of us to think that these very attractive famous musicians can have anyone they want and have these incredible love lives. But they are human just like us and meeting someone isn't always as easy as we imagine. The next song on the list is Baby Good Night. This is a slower, sweeter song. I LOVE this music video. The imagery and symbolism that they use is so intriguing. Much of it reminds me of greek myths. The lyrics themselves are equally as beautiful.
Now onto the cooking! I'm going to start with the rice because it takes a bit longer because of the prep time. Both recipes are from Maangachi's Real Korean Cooking.

Ingredients:

1 cup short-grain rice
1/2 cup brown sweet rice (hyeonmi-chapssel)
1/2 cup barley
2 tablespoons black sweet rice (optional)
2 1/2 cups water

Step 1.
Combine the short-grain rice, brown sweet rice, barley and black sweet rice in a medium heavy saucepan, cover with cold water, and stir with your hand. Then drain by tilting the pan as far as you can over the sink without pouring out any rice. Continue to rinse, stir, and drain the rice until the water runs clear. Add the 2 1/2 cups water to the pan, cover, and let stand for 2 hours.

Step 2.
Set the pan over medium-high heat, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Step 3.
You will know it is time to turn the rice over when the surface is covered with abundant bubbles that are sputtering noisily and look like they are about to overflow the pan. Turn, scraping the bottom of the pan, then turn the heat to low, cover, and cook until the grains are tender, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Fluff with a wooden spoon to release excess steam and serve immediately.

Now onto Dwaejigogi-bokkeum

Ingredients:

1 pound pork belly or boneless pork shoulder, cut into about 1 1/2-x-1-x-1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper flakes (gochu-garu)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1/2 cup sliced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 green Korean chili pepper (cheong-gochu), stemmed and chopped
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Step 1.
Combine the pork, hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes, soy sauce, sugar, onion, garlic, ginger, scallion, black pepper, chili pepper, and sesame oil in a large skillet and mix together with a wooden spoon. Set the pan over high heat and stir-fry until the pork is cooked through but still juicy and the onion is caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 2.
Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and serve.

Both dishes are pretty easy to make and cook rather quickly. The prep time tends to be the longest part. I hope you enjoyed the recipes. I look forward to seeing you next week. If there is anything you would like to see me make, please leave a comment below. Have a great week!

XOXO,
Rachel