Korean Spiced Tofu

I know what you’re thinking. Tofu?! Ugh!

Why does tofu get a bad wrap? I love it. I love the different textures it can assume. I love the way it absorbs flavors like a sponge. And apparently, it can give you an orgasm in your mouth. (Click on the link to see a hilariously compelling advertisement my neighbor stumbled upon; you won’t be disappointed!) ☺



This simple Korean dish is one of my favorite ways to eat tofu. The tofu is first lightly fried then simmered in a soy sauce spiked with garlic, green onions, sesame and Korean chili flakes. It absorbs the sauce beautifully and has a texture a little like steamed eggs. Totally easy and tasty.

One important thing to note is the use of Korean chili flakes (gochugaru), which are different from the chili flakes we like on our pizza or in pasta dishes. The Korean version doesn't really have seeds so it doesn't pack the same heat. However there are spicy versions, which would be indicated on the packaging. I don't think the two taste a like, so substituting the regular red pepper flakes will not give the same result to the dish. I think it's worth it to take a trip to your local Korean or Japanese grocery to pick up a bag.

Korean red pepper flakes (left) vs. regular red chili flakes.

Tubu Choerim (Fried spiced tofu)
Adapted from The Korean Kitchen

• 1 block firm (not extra firm) tofu, sliced into ½ inch rectangles
• 3 tbs soy sauce (I used low sodium tamari) mixed with an equal volume water
• 2 tsp Korean chili flakes (or more to taste)
• ½ tbs toasted sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped into a paste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 5 to 8 scallions, cut into 2-inch segments
• 1 tbs toasted sesame seeds

Lay the sliced tofu out on paper towels and lightly sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes. This will draw out some of the excess water. Blot the slices with a paper towel before frying.

Make the sauce by combining the soy, chili flakes, sesame oil, garlic and sugar in a small bowl.

In a hot frying pan (something that is non-stick; I used well seasoned cast iron), fry the tofu slices in about 2 tbs oil for about 3 minutes on each side. The goal is not to get a crispy crust, just cook the tofu so it’s not raw. Add the scallions and fry for another minute. Add the sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, flipping the tofu slices at least once during the process. We like it a bit saucy, so I don’t let the liquid evaporate all the way down. Throw in the sesame seeds and remove the tofu to a serving platter. Ladle the sauce over. Serve warm or at room temp.

This makes a wonderful side dish in a multicourse meal, but it’s just as filling when eaten alone with steamed short-grain rice and a few fresh cucumber slices (or tomato slices) or Korean pickles.

This is my submission to Regional Recipes, where the spotlight is on Korean food. The host this round is Wandering Chopsticks. If you’d like to participate, send your submission to wanderingchopsticks(at)gmail(dot)com by midnight, June 15th.

Saucy Broccoli and Tofu Stir-fry

We eat a lot of broccoli in this house. It’s one of the vegetables my son will actually eat without a lot of bitching and moaning. It might be a bit boring as far as vegetables go, but it does often save me a trip to the Asian market because it’s a good substitute for Asian broccoli. Not quit as sharp as the Asian varieties, but that’s made up for with a wonderful texture. If you haven’t tried biting into a tender-crisp piece of stir-fried broccoli, the sauce that’s trapped in the floret releasing into your mouth, then you’ve missed out. That’s not an exaggeration.

Try this easy stir-fry and you’ll see what I’m talking about.



I found this stir-fry in Martin Yan’s latest cookbook, Martin Yan's China. He originally presents this as a shrimp stir-fry, but in an effort to eat less meat, I decided to use tofu and broccoli. In fact, if you substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock or water, this would be a vegan dish! Imagine that?!

Saucy Broccoli and Tofu Stir-fry
Adapated from Martin Yan’s China
Serves 3

• 1 block firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
• 2 to 3 cups of broccoli (more if you’d like), cut for stir-frying
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• ¼ cup ketchup (see note)
• ¼ cup Chinese rice wine
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 to 2 tbs chili garlic sauce (see note)
• ½ tbs sugar (more to taste)
• squirt of toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce (more to taste)

Note: Those who turn their noses up to using ketchup in Asian cooking should not be so snobby. It can work beautifully, like in this dish. Remember, if it's good enough for Martin Yan, it's good enough for you. Also, if you haven’t figured it out, there is a difference between the Chinese andd Vietnamese version of chili garlic sauce. Lee Kum Kee is probably the most popular Chinese version here in the States. We don’t think it’s very spicy and are able to use the full 2 tbs in this dish. The Vietnamese version is a heck of a lot spicier, and the one I prefer, but if I use 2 tbs in anything, Sonny wouldn’t be able to eat. The choice is yours; both work well.

Start by heating a wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 tbs oil and when hot add the tofu. Fry the tofu, turning only every minute or so. This will allow it to sear so that the outside is semi-crisp and the inside is soft. It may take 10 minutes to get them browned to your liking.

While the tofu is cooking, make the sauce. Start by dissolving the cornstarch in the broth and soy sauce. Add the ketchup, rice wine, chili garlic sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Adjust the flavor to your liking by adding more of any of the ingredients. Bare in mind that the rice wine may seem strong, but it will evaporate once cooked. Set aside until needed.

Once the tofu is browned to your liking, add the broccoli and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Better to undercook than overcook because you’ll be giving it a little more time at the end. Remove everything to a bowl.

Turn up the heat. To the wok, add another tbs of oil and the garlic. Fry for just a few seconds, making sure it doesn’t burn. Add the sauce mix and allow to reduce until it thickens. This shouldn’t take too long if your wok is hot. Add the tofu and broccoli back in and stir to coat. Cook for about another minute. There should be a nice sauce and it should be quite thick. Remove from heat and serve immediate with steamed rice.


I'm submitting this dish to Weekend Wokking, a food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks that spotlights a theme ingredient. The host this round is Wiffy of Noob Cook and the theme ingredient is broccoli. If you're interested in participating in the future, check out Wiffy's blog for the round-up, which will be posted on Dec 3. You'll get to see all the delicious entries and the next secret ingredient will be revealed!

Recipe Redux

It was recently brought to my attention that there may be a problem with one of my recipes. After a little troubleshooting, we figured there was some confusion about the type of noodles to use. When there is a special ingredient in a recipe, I normally try to take a picture or post a link so people are somewhat familiar with the item if they want to go purchase it. If there’s any question about an ingredient or substitution or if you have a suggestion, please don’t hesitate to contact me by leaving a comment or emailing me at blazinghotwok(at)gmail(dot)com. I want people to enjoy discovering a new recipe and not get discouraged or frustrated because something didn’t work out!

Okay, sometimes us food bloggers take stuff for granted and assume people know what we are talking about. Or sometimes we aren't good at clarifying, which appears to be the case with the rice noodles. So, it seems only appropriate I explain a little about the rice noodles I use. If you are familiar with the different types, I won't blame you for not reading on. However, maybe you could do me a favor and check out the recipe in question and let me know if it's easier to follow. I put in new tips.

From left to right: semi-fresh rice noodles, rice sticks, fresh rice noodles

I typically use one of three kinds, which can make it a bit confusing. Sometimes they can be interchanged, however, one may be more appropriate than the others for a particular type of recipe. As an example, think about spaghetti alla carbonara. You can substitute fettuccini or linguine, but it wouldn’t work very well with rigatoni, would it? When substitutions can be made, I will indicate it.

For some recipes the best rice noodles to use are the fresh ones, also known here in the States as chow fun noodles. I like to use these noodles for pad se ew, pad kee mao, and chow fun. These noodles are sold in sheets so you can cut them into any width you like. Sometimes they are pre-cut into strips. Both types have been oiled to keep the layers from sticking, although I wonder if that really helps. They can be kind of hard to separate when cold and it’s a little easier if they are at room temperature. Fresh means they are found in the refrigerated section.

There is another type of semi-fresh rice noodle that I like to use for dishes like pad Thai. They are pliable, but not soft. Unlike the fun noodles, they are not oiled and come vacuum packed. They technically don’t require pre-soaking, but they can be hard to separate when hey are cold. I like to put the noodles in lukewarm water while I separate the strands. If you don’t loosen the strands well, they will stay clumped up when you stir-fry them. Make sure to drain them well before using.

Lastly, there are the rice sticks. These are the dried rice noodles commonly used for noodle soups. They are also great to use for pad Thai if you don’t have access to the semi-fresh noodles. If you plan to use them for anything other than soup, they must be soaked. For soup, I simply boil them. The soaking time depends on the brand, the temperature of the water and the age of the noodles. You’ll want to soak them so they are semi-soft, but not completely soft, otherwise they will turn to mush when you stir-fry them. Be aware that dry weight is not the same as hydrated weight. Just to test the difference between the two, I softened 9 oz of dry noodles by pouring boiling water over them for 8 minutes, rinsing with cold water, then draining well. Even before weighing them again, I could see they had expanded a lot, and sure enough, the hydrated weight was just over a pound and a half!!

Before I post a recipe, I generally try it out a couple of times to make sure the results are consistent or to work out the issues from the first attempt(s). Still, mistakes can happen so I wanted to revisit the recipe in question: pad se ew. It’s basically stir-fried rice noodles with egg and soy sauces. Nothing fancy, but quite delicious, especially when dressed up with various condiments. As I said in the original post, this is a fairly versatile dish because you can add whatever vegetables and protein you’d like. For this dish, I always use fresh rice noodles because that was the type of noodle mom always used. However, I wanted to try using the rice sticks because everyone has access to these and I wanted to compare the results.





The top picture is the redo and the bottom picture is the original I did in January. The noticeable differences were color and texture of the noodles. The fresh noodles have a “chewier” texture and are a little thicker and oilier. I definitely prefer the fresh noodles, but using the dry noodles worked out fine. I want to note that the lighter noodles were by no means bland, but I don't think they fried up as well due to less oil. But if you're worried about fat content, using rice sticks is probably the way to go.

There was some concern the sauce proportions were not sufficient for the 1 ½ pounds of noodles, but actually they were okay. I always make a double portion of sauce because heaven forbid there's not enough sauce and I'm running around trying to get ingredients together while the food is cooking. A double portion makes about 7 tbs and for this amount of noodles, I used 4. If you have extra sauce left over, spike it with some chili garlic sauce or sambal and serve as a condiment in case people want to spice up the dish a bit.

Now that you've read this far, I should just tell you I updated the original recipe with notes just so everything is clarified. Enjoy!

Soup to Warm You to the Bone: Soon Dubu

A few weeks ago, my neighbor, Mr. Z, made the most delicious Korean soup, which he called soon dubu. It had tofu, shrimp and egg, and the main flavoring ingredient was Korean hot pepper paste (aka gochu jang). In addition to being one of the tastiest soups that has ever passed my lips, it is easy to make. Mr. Z shared the recipe with me and I’m passing it on to you.



Notes before you start:
1) If you didn’t notice, this soup is going to be spicy. To cut down on the spiciness, omit the crushed red pepper and add only 1 tbs gochu jang.
2) Instead of chicken broth, Mr. Z suggests anchovy broth. I suspect it’s a homemade thing, as I’ve never seen this for sale. Instead I used chicken broth and boiled the shells of the shrimp in the broth for about 15 minutes. In addition, I added 1 tbs of dried shrimp to the soup. This is completely optional.
3) I used 3 eggs, but separated two of them so I could poach two yolks whole because I love soft poached eggs.

This stuff is spicy and salty and gives food a wonderful flavor. Try it in this beef stew or as a marinade for grilled beef.

Soon Dubu

• 2 tsp dark sesame oil
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup finely chopped zucchini
• 1 bunch green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces, whites and greens separated
• 6 shitake mushrooms, sliced (or two large handfuls of dried shitakes)
• ½ onion (preferably sweet, like Vidalia), sliced into thin wedges
• 1 to 2 tbs gochu jang (Korean hot pepper paste)
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and roughly chopped
• 5 to 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 package silken tofu
• 2 to 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• salt, to taste

In a pot over medium heat, add the sesame oil and about another tablespoon of vegetable oil. When hot, add the mushrooms, garlic, red and black peppers, and whites of the green onions. Saute for a minute . Add the onion wedges, zucchini, chicken broth and gochu jang. Allow to come to a slow boil and stir to dissolve the paste. Add the tofu and stir to break it up roughly. Check the seasonings. Add more pepper paste if you’d like it spicer and salt if necessary. Simmer the soup for a few minutes (5 or 10), then add the beaten egg. After a couple of minutes, add the shrimp. Resist the urge to stir! Just allow the shrimp to quietly poach in the soup until they are pink and cooked through. Add the greens of the green onions. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to rest, covered, for about 10 minutes before serving. I like my soup with a little bowl of rice.

Easy Rice Noodle Stir-fry: Pad Se-ew

I added some tips (in bold) to make this recipe easier to follow. Let me know if it helps.
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Happy New Year!

I know. I know. I’m late. I had every intention of posting sooner with my food-related favs of 2007 and resolutions for 2008, but that boat came and went and it seems a little untimely to do it now.

Instead I’ll tell you about one of my fav noodle dishes when I was a kid. It’s called pad se ew. This is the noodle dish mom made most often, probably because it’s so easy. Unlike pad Thai, the list of ingredients is relatively short. It’s also one of those dishes that gives you some flexibility with the ingredients. Mom always used Chinese broccoli, which doesn’t look or really taste like regular broccoli. It looks more like collard greens but tastes more like kale. If you can't get Chinese broccoli, kale, broccoli, broccolini or even asparagus will do. For the protein, you could use chicken, pork or tofu. I prefer to use fresh rice noodles (also called chow fun noodles), but you could always soak the dry rice noodles (like for pad Thai).



The main flavoring ingredient in this stir-fry is a mushroom flavored soy sauce. It has a smoother taste than regular soy sauce and I think that why it’s also referred to as light soy sauce (not to be confused with Chinese light soy sauce, which doesn't contain mushroom). It's actually thin soy sauce co-fermented with mushrooms. Mom always called it Healthy Boy, which is actually the brand she used. In fact, I don't know if there is another brand?? Unfortunately, I don’t think many grocery stores stock it, so you’ll need to visit your local Asian grocer. Or you could pay a little more and buy it online. BTW, this mushroom soy sauce is a great substitution for regular soy sauce in many stir-fries. Try it in fried rice and you’ll see.

Mushroom soy sauce is not as harsh as regular soy sauce in the same way that kosher salt is not as harsh as regular iodized salt.

Pad Se-ew with Broccoli and Tofu
Serves 4

• 2 tsp regular soy sauce
• 3 tbs mushroom flavored soy sauce (also referred to as light soy sauce)
• 2 tsp sugar (I prefer brown, but white is fine)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ block tofu, cubed (or the protein of your choice)
• 1 to 2 eggs, lightly beaten (depending on how much you like eggs)
• 1 to 2 cups broccoli florets (or one bunch washed and well-dried kale or Chinese broccoli)
• 1 to 1 1/2 pound fresh, wide rice noodles (also called chow fun), strands separated (or about 8 oz dried wide rice sticks, soaked in boiling water until semi-soft, drained well and lightly oiled to prevent sticking*)
  

Make the sauce by mixing the soy sauce, mushroom soy sauce and sugar together. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Set aside, but remember to stir it before using. [BTW, I always recommend making a double portion of the sauce mix. Everyone has a different preference for salt. You may feel like you want to use more sauce and it's annoying to rush around throwing more sauce together when you're stir-frying. You can spike the leftover sauce with some chili garlic sauce or sambal and use as a condiment.]

In a hot wok over high heat, add about 1 or 2 tbs oil (don’t use olive oil; it sucks for stir-frying). When it’s smoking, add the broccoli and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want it to be tender-crisp (more crisp than tender because you’ll cook it further later). Remove it from the wok and set it aside.

Add 2 more tablespoons oil to the wok. When hot, add the tofu (or meat). Stir-fry, stirring only occasionally, until the tofu begins to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue for 30 seconds. Slowly drizzle the egg down the sides of the wok and cook until they are just set. Add the noodles and pre-cooked broccoli and stir-fry for a minute or two, until the noodles begin to soften. Add half to 2/3 of the sauce mix and stir-fry to coat the noodles. Taste the noodles and add more sauce mix if necessary. It's done when the noodles are cooked through. Serve immediately.

Don’t forget to serve with accompaniments, such as roughly ground chili pepper and wedge of lime. My favorite is a vinegar chili sauce, which you've probably seen at noodle houses. A quick version of the sauce can be made by combining 1 tbs fish sauce, 1 tbs rice vinegar, 2 tsp sugar and fresh or jarred jalapeno peppers to taste. If you have extra sauce, try spiking it with chili garlic sauce or sambal and serving as a condiment.

*You may want to read the post I did, which compared the fresh rice noodles to the rice sticks. Here is the link.

The Cure-all Soup (updated!)

One of the most annoying things in the world is to get sick during summer. Not a slight summer cold, mind you. Sore throat, ear infection, coughing, chills…just all around icky-ness. While everyone else was prancing around in tank tops and shorts, all I wanted to do was crawl under my heavy down comforter and hibernate. Then just when I was on the upswing, Sonny came down with it. Ugh.

It's times like these when I wished mom lived nearby (I'm sure I'll retract that statement next week) because I sure could have used a double batch of her cure-all hot and sour soup. Got a cold? Headache? Upset stomach? Nothing like a dose of hot and sour soup to make things alright.

Photo added December 2008.

Now days, you can get the bouillon at Asian markets. I have used this in the past, but it required so much doctoring, I figure I could just as well make it from scratch. If you look for recipes for tom yum soup, there are a few things they all have in common: lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, coriander roots, fish sauce, lime juice. But I will tell you the secret (or two) to make this a stellar soup; something I’ve never found in any recipe: naam prik pao. My mom taught me this and I promise you it makes a huge difference. Another thing mom taught me was to use tamarind puree as well as lime to give this soup its sourness.

One thing to keep in mind is that some people (like mom) like this soup more on the sour side, while some people (like me) like this soup more on the tangy side. There’s also a few additions, like ginger or shrimp paste, depending on whether you plan to use shrimp, tofu or chicken, but I usually just stick to the basic recipe and it all still turns out fine. You may find yourself fiddling a little with the ingredients until you find the right combination.

This recipe makes a lot of soup. Enough to feed about 10 people a small bowl. If it’s too much for your immediate use, freeze some of it for later. Once you get the flavoring right (and before adding the tomatoes or meat), transfer the amount you want to freeze to another pot or large bowl and allow it to cool a bit before freezing. Then when you feel like having some soup later, just reheat, add tomatoes and meat, and you’re ready to go.

Mom’s Cure-all Hot and Sour Soup (aka basic Tom Yum)

• 2.5 tbs naam prik phao
• Thai chilies, to taste (I generally use 2-3)
• 3 coriander roots (if you can find it)
  
• 1 stick lemongrass, white part only
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 slices galangal (about the size of half dollars)
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamarind puree
• 3 tbs fresh lime juice, more to taste
  
• fish sauce, to taste
• palm sugar, to taste (light brown sugar is okay)
• 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes sliced (or more if you like)
• 1 block tofu, 1 lbs shrimp or ¾ lbs sliced chicken (preferably thigh meat) or mushrooms
  

In a mortar, pound the chilies and garlic until uniformly mashed. Add the coriander roots, galangal and lemongrass and pound just to bruise the lemongrass to release its fragrance. In a large pot add the naam prik pao, the mashed herbs, kaffir lime leaves and chicken stock. Heat until warmed. Add the tamarind puree, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Adjust the taste by adding more of tamarind puree (for tanginess and sour), lime juice (for sourness), sugar or fish sauce. Once you get the flavor you like, turn down the heat to get a nice simmer and add the cherry tomatoes (I like to simmer up to 30 minutes before adding the tomatoes, but it’s up to you really). After about 5 minutes, add the tofu or meat. If adding shrimp or chicken, do not stir. Simply submerse the meat and allow it to poach until done. Serve garnished with a few cilantro leaves. I sometimes like to add some rice to my bowl for a nice hot and sour rice soup. Yum!


Check out Sonny eating hot and sour soup, fishcakes and rice.

Yes, I Do Call This Cooking

I’m the big tree-hugging tofu eater in our house. Hubby will eat it in a stir-fry, but only because he’s too lazy to pick it out. Sonny won’t touch it, no matter how I serve it (maybe I should try serving it with chocolate sauce??).

One of my favorite ways to eat tofu is fresh, with a nice dipping sauce and big bowl of Japanese sticky rice. My current favorite dipping sauce is a Korean one I first made here. It's so easy and as hubby pointed out, doesn't require any real cooking.

Korean Dipping Sauce
¼ cup Korean chili bean paste
1 tbs minced garlic
½ tbs minced ginger
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs sesame oil
5 green onions, chopped
handful cilantro, chopped
½ cup canola oil (or other neutral oil)
juice from about 2 lemons (or to taste)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
toasted sesame seeds for garnish
sliced scallions or cilantro for garnish

Throw everything into a food processor, except the canola oil, lemon juice and salt. Process until you get a smooth paste. With the processor still going, slowing add the oil, until well incorporated. Add about ¾ of the lemon juice and salt and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and lemon juice as necessary.

Use as a dipping sauce for tofu (or grilled meats or anything else you’d like).