Today is the day I both dreaded and anticipated…Jjigae Day.
Will I fuck it up like I did the last three times two years ago when I threw in the towel? (Note to self: never make vegan jjigae again, gross.)
What if I get raw pork juice everywhere and die of sepsis?
What do I do with the leftover pork?
Where do I get frozen seafood medley?
How the hell do I cook refrigerated Manila clams without accidentally eating a dead one?
Is the frozen seafood alive when they froze it?
What if I still hate kim chee jjigae?
Will I fuck it up again??
I was so nervous I almost forgot a lot of necessary ingredients to flavor the broth of this experimental, hybrid tofu/kim chee stew: mushrooms, (cooked) seafood medley (thanks, Dominic!), and well-fermented, tasty kim chee from Costco.
The kim chee makes tofu jjigae (or soondubu) sour, slightly taking away the savory blend of gochugaru and soy bean paste. But, I tasted the tofu jjigae before adding kim chee and I’d finally achieved that umami for next time, when I just want spicy soft tofu stew.
Aaaand, I just remembered my grandma would add butter to soften the blow. Yes, butter.
Check out my tofu jjigae recipe for the basics.
Then, if you want to make this, too, just add the aromatics of your choosing to flavor the broth. It’s better the next day.
I think I almost got it this time. My jjigae is a work in progress…
What I did differently:
chicken stock over water
medium-firm tofu’s okay
add about 1/8-1/4 cup each of frozen seafood medley, straight from the package, sliced pork, and kim chee — the more fermented the better
stir-fry pork, onions, and garlic in a separate pan before adding to the stew
stir in a pat or two of butter to soften the kim chee’s sourness
let stew simmer a little longer than the two minutes in other recipes, just until the broth seeps into the tofu
What’s with the jjigae all of a sudden? I’m re-discovering my roots. Watching k-dramas will do that.
My goal is to make all of my favorite Korean comfort foods better than my mom (almost there) and my grandma (good luck), so I don’t have to fly back to Hawaii or Korea…even though I’m sorely tempted.
