Sundubu Jjigae
This matters to me because...
Sundubu jjigae is a stew I've had since in college. Whenever a group of friends wanted to go out for dinner, we'd always go to Kaju Tofu House. It was also one of the first dishes I consciously introduced to my parents; rather than my parents doing the cooking and choosing of restaurants, it was my turn to show them the world I've been experience. In fact, I not only introduced my parents to sundubu, but it was also the dish I made for the first full meal that I cooked for my parents.
What's different about sundubu this time around is that I added some fresh noodles in the stew, as opposed to having rice on the side. I learned about this when I went with a friend to Tosokchon in Annandale, VA.
Ingredients
Broth base
- Anchovies
- Napa cabbage
- Dried kelp
- Daikon
- Water
Stew
- Shallots
- Scallions
- Garlic
- Sundubu
- Chicken thighs
- Gochugaru
- Sesame Oil
- Salt
- Sugar
- Broth base
2 Comments
- I can't discern the taste between onions and shallots. They're supposedly sweeter and stronger, but I honestly can't taste anything different. It might also be that when it's cooked in a broth for nearly an hour, all of the nuances between the two are gone. Unsure though, because I definitely can smell the difference when I'm sweating onions vs. shallots.
- I've had sundubu a handful of times, and yet each time I have it, I burn my mouth. I just need to be patient and let the stew cool down. I definitely still need to reheat it one more time, since I crack a raw egg in there. I just need to be patient...
2 Learnings
- I like having noodles in the sundubu jjigae more than just the rice. It can be a bit awkward using the spoon on my left hand and chopsticks on the right, but I grew having more noodle soups than soups with rice. It's also probably because I grew up in a household where mixing white rice with soup was a big "no-no".
- Adding any meats works, but I definitely need to have some kind of meat in the dish. It creates a new dimension of flavor that you can't really get from just the kelp and anchovy stock. The stock is good, but adding layers on top of it really helps add more depth. I wonder if something like ground beef would work...perhaps not.