sundubu jjigae (korean tofu stew)

I love tomatoes and cucumber and feta as much as anyone but sometimes I need to shake it up with a different cuisine. this spicy korean tofu stew is delicious and surprisingly easy. I had it with a small bowl of white rice and some cucumber salad, but have it with brown rice (or just on its own!) if that suits your goals better.

I started by slicing up a few scallions and 1/4 of a white onion. To a pot on medium heat I added a tsp of vegetable oil and a tsp of sesame oil, then cooked the onion and the white part of the scallion.

When that was nice and fragrant, I added a few cloves of garlic and a handful of kimchi that I chopped up into bite size pieces. I also added a dash of soy sauce, fish sauce, and a tiny bit of honey, along with 1/2 tbsp of gochugaru (It's definitely traditional to do more of it but my spice tolerance isnt quite at korean levels!)

I stirred and let that cook together for a minute or so, then added 2 cups of vegetable broth (you could do any kind of stock, or even just water) and let it come to a boil.

Once boiling, I added some rinsed mushrooms (I did enoki and shimeji), half a container of korean soft tofu (it's the kind that comes in a cylinder instead of a block, but silken tofu would work too), no need to chop it, just break it up gently in the pot. I cracked one egg into the pot. it's done by the time the egg is cooked! top with the remaining scallions.

For the cucumber salad: chopped cucumber, sliced onions, garlic. a dash of rice vinegar, soy sauce, gochugaru, and a tiny bit of honey. let them sit for 10 or so minutes.