A drunkard's favorite!
Who would have ever thought that a dish of stir fried kimchi and pork which is then served with tofu, would be a popular drinking dish?
I was able to try Dubu Kimchi during my stay in Seoul, when our Mih-songsaengnim took us around Itaewon for dinner. A popular anju which is the korean term to what we Filipinos refer to as pulutan, Dubu Kimchi has a complex balance of flavors coming from the very spicy kimchi pork which is cooled down by the soft and creamy, blanched tofu.
After a little research, I came with my own 15-minute recipe.
Dubu Kimchi
Ingredients:
1 package- Fermented Kimchi, chopped
(I got mine from DC Market which offers a wide selection of homemade kimchi)
1 kilo- Pork Belly/Ssamgyupsal, cute into 1inch pieces
1 block- Soft Korean Tofu
Soy Sauce- to taste
Honey- to taste
Sesame Oil- to taste
Crushed Garlic
Procedure:
1) Boil some water in a deep pot. Just enough water that would cover the tofu.
2) On a separate pan, sauté garlic in a little bit of oil
2) Add in Ssamgyupsal and then drizzle a little bit of soy sauce right onto the meat
3) When the pork has been seared, add in the fermented kimchi
4) Let it simmer until the pork is tender and the kimchi has wilted.
5) While the kimchi-pork simmers, place tofu block into the boiling water for 5 minutes to 8 minutes.
6) Take out tofu. Slice and place onto your serving plate
7) Check on the Kimchi-pork. Drizzle a little bit of Honey, Sesame Oil, and Soy Sauce to taste.
8) Plate Kimchi-Pork right on top of the tofu
9) Serve.
I may have took several shortcuts but I think I got the exact flavours I was looking for.. Best consumed with some Makkoli ! This spicy and at the same time creamy dish enjoyed with the sparkling, sweet flavours of the makkoli make for a an irresistible (at the same time deadly) combination! Make sure to enjoy this at home or have a driver in case eating this out.
The fact the my sister has asked me to cook this for her again next week means I did something right :))
Miks