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How to Assemble your own Korean Stew

5 from 1 vote
A warm bowl of Korean stew is the most comforting dish on a chilly day. It’s also a powerful healing dish after a hangover or a holiday feast. The best part? You can assemble your own Korean stew with whatever ingredients you have in the fridge!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Korean
Servings: 2 to 4
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or sesame oil, or other vegetable oil)
  • 2 green onions , chopped
  • 1 cup napa cabbage kimchi
  • 3 tablespoons doenjang Korean fermented soybean paste
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoon gochujang Korean spicy pepper paste
  • 1 cup chopped carrot (or other root veggies)
  • 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Japanese sake
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (or to taste)
  • 2 cups chopped mushrooms
  • 1/2 block (19-oz. / 539 g) soft tofu
  • 1 to 2 cups fish tofu (*see footnote 1)
  • 1 to 2 cups aburaage Japanese fried tofu, or regular deep fried tofu
  • Eggs (*see footnote 2) (Optional)
  • 2 cups mixed salad (or mustard greens, or spinach) (Optional)

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a 3-quart (2.8 L) dutch oven (or a heavy skillet) over medium high heat. Add kimchi and green onion. Cook and stir until the ingredients start to sizzle (*see footnote 3). Continue to cook for 1 minute.
  • Add doenjang and gochujang. Smash and stir the paste until the ingredients are evenly coated. Add carrot. Stir a few times.
  • Add chicken stock (or water). Cook over high heat until boiling.
  • Add soy sauce, sake, and sugar, give it a stir. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning by adding more sugar, doenjang, and/or gochujang.
  • Add mushrooms, soft tofu, fish tofu, and aburaage. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked.
  • (Optional) Add eggs and mixed salad. Cook until the eggs reach desired doneness.
  • Serve warm. You can pair the stew with steamed rice.

Notes

  1. Fish tofu is tasty and makes the stew satisfying. Skip it to make the stew vegetarian.
  2. You can poach the egg in the stew. If you want to serve the dish in one Korean style, separate the eggs first, cook the egg whites in the stew, and then place an egg yolk on top of each bowl of stew once served.
  3. If you would like to add meat to your stew, this is the time to add it. You should cook the meat until the surface is cooked through before continuing to the next step.

Nutrition

Serving: 582g, Calories: 268kcal, Carbohydrates: 18.6g, Protein: 14.6g, Fat: 16.3g, Saturated Fat: 2.2g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 996mg, Potassium: 340mg, Fiber: 5.2g, Sugar: 7.1g, Vitamin A: 4900IU, Vitamin C: 5.8mg, Calcium: 120mg, Iron: 2.5mg