Spicy Braised Tofu (Eolkeun Dubu Jorim)
This delicious spicy braised tofu (Eolkeun Dubu Jorim) recipe will ease your mealtime worries, serving as a perfect side dish for rice.
📝 Editor's Notes
This Spicy Braised Tofu (Eolkeun Dubu Jorim) is an excellent side dish for rice, offering a perfect blend of spiciness and deep umami flavor.
The soft tofu thoroughly absorbs the seasoning, providing satisfying bites.
The addition of fried eggs is particularly impressive, adding unique fun and nutrition.
While not overly complicated, this recipe can be considered intermediate due to the delicate heat control required when stir-frying and reducing the sauce.
Enjoyed with warm rice, it makes a special and delicious meal for the whole family, suitable for any season, not just cold weather.
🛒 Ingredient Tips
For the tofu, the star of this recipe, it's best to choose firm, pan-frying tofu.
It holds its shape better during cooking and absorbs the seasoning well.
If you wish to remove more moisture from the tofu, wrap it in a paper towel and press it lightly with a heavy object for a while.
For Korean chili flakes (gochugaru), choose a vibrant and finely ground variety to achieve a beautiful color and deep aroma.
Old chili flakes can lose their color and become stale, so using fresh ones is important.
Use fresh eggs to enhance the savory flavor.
🔄 Substitution Guide
For the tofu, which is a key ingredient in this recipe, firm pan-frying tofu is best.
However, if you prefer a softer texture, you can use soft tofu (jjigae-yong dubu).
Just be extra careful not to break it during cooking.
If you don't have tuna sauce (chamchi-aek), you can use 1 tbsp of regular soy sauce (jin ganjang) mixed with 0.5 tbsp of anchovy sauce (myeolchi-aekjeot), or use kelp broth (dashima yuksu) to add umami.
The taste might be slightly different, but it will still be delicious.
If you dislike spicy food or are cooking for children, you can use shishito peppers (kkari-gochu) or bell peppers instead of Cheongyang chili peppers (cheongyang-gochu) to add color and aroma, and reduce the amount of Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) or use a mild variety.
🥘 Ingredients
👨🍳 Cooking Points
The first secret to making this Spicy Braised Tofu delicious is 'stir-frying the seasoning.' This process involves stir-frying Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) and red chili paste (gochujang) in oil to deepen their spicy aroma and color.
It's crucial to reduce the heat to low during this step to prevent burning, as burnt chili flakes can impart a bitter taste.
The second point is 'layering the ingredients.' The order of placing the fried eggs over the stir-fried vegetables and then the tofu on top is important.
This allows the eggs to absorb the sauce, making them more moist and flavorful.
Finally, 'reducing the sauce sufficiently' is key.
Start by boiling over high heat, then uncover and reduce to medium-low heat, letting the sauce simmer until it thickens to a shallow consistency.
This process allows the seasoning to deeply penetrate the tofu, creating the authentic taste of Dubu Jorim.
👨🍳 Directions
Cut 1 block (380g) of tofu into 3 equal parts, then slice them thickly into bite-sized pieces.
Slice 50g of green onion (approx. 1 large stalk) into rounds about a finger-joint long, not too thinly. Roughly chop 1/2 onion. Thinly diagonal-slice 3 small (or 1-2 large) Cheongyang chili peppers (cheongyang-gochu) and 1/2 red chili pepper.
In a bowl, combine 1.5 tbsp soy sauce (ganjang), 1 tbsp tuna sauce (chamchi-aek), 1 tbsp cooking wine (matsul), 1 tsp white sugar, and 1/3 tsp fine sea salt. Mix well to create the seasoning sauce.
Heat a pan with cooking oil and fry 2 eggs. Once the bottom is crispy, flip and cook the top lightly to make two fried eggs.
In a pot, add 1 tbsp cooking oil and 0.5 tbsp perilla oil (for stir-frying) and heat over high heat. Add 1 tbsp minced garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. When the garlic starts to bubble, reduce to low heat, add 2.5 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru), and stir-fry briefly to coat in oil. Add 0.5 tbsp red chili paste (gochujang) and stir-fry once more, coating it in the oil.
When the gochujang sauce starts to slightly stick to the pot, add the chopped onion and green onion. Stir-fry over low heat until they release moisture and don't burn.
Spread the stir-fried vegetables evenly across the bottom of the pot. Place the two fried eggs on top of the vegetables, then arrange the sliced tofu over the eggs.
Pour the prepared seasoning sauce over the tofu. Add 1.25 cups (300 ml) of water and turn the heat to high. Cover and boil vigorously for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, uncover the pot and add half of the sliced Cheongyang chili peppers (cheongyang-gochu). Continue to simmer, uncovered, allowing the spicy flavor to develop and the liquid to reduce. Once the liquid has reduced to a shallow level, reduce the heat to medium.
Once the liquid has reduced to your desired consistency, add the remaining green onion, Cheongyang chili peppers (cheongyang-gochu), and red chili pepper. Turn off the heat and drizzle with 0.5 tbsp perilla oil (for finishing) to enhance the flavor.
💡 Tips
Adding fried eggs to Dubu Jorim makes it tastier and more satisfying.
If you don't mention that there are eggs hidden beneath when serving, your family will be pleasantly surprised to find them while eating.
It tastes even better if you reduce the sauce until it's thick, like tomato sauce. Adjust to your preference.
If the seasoning is too mild, simply add a pinch more salt instead of other condiments.
📦 Storage & Reuse
Store the finished Spicy Braised Tofu in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Tofu's texture can change slightly when frozen, so it's best to consume it as soon as possible.
If you have a large amount leftover, you can portion it with the sauce and freeze it, but be aware that the tofu's texture may become somewhat spongy upon thawing.
To reheat, transfer to a pot and warm gently over low heat, or microwave.
If the sauce has reduced too much, add a little water or kelp broth (dashima yuksu) when reheating to keep it moist.
Leftover jorim is also delicious mixed with rice or with boiled somyeon (소면) noodles.
🥢 Who This Is For
We highly recommend this Spicy Braised Tofu for those craving a hearty and spicy meal.
It's an excellent side dish for rice; you'll hardly need any other banchan (반찬) when paired with warm rice.
It also makes a great accompaniment to alcoholic beverages.
Good side dishes to serve alongside include a refreshing soybean sprout soup (kongnamul-guk), clear radish soup (mu-chae-guk), or crispy white kimchi (baek-kimchi).
These will help balance the spicy flavor of the jorim and refresh your palate.
Try serving it at your next family dinner!
🔥 Nutrition Info
One serving of this Spicy Braised Tofu (estimated for 2 servings based on the recipe) is expected to be approximately 380-420 kcal.
You can expect to consume about 20-25g of protein from tofu and eggs, 20-25g of fat from perilla oil, cooking oil, tofu, and eggs, and 15-20g of carbohydrates from vegetables and seasoning.
This dish is particularly notable for tofu's rich plant-based protein and calcium, and eggs' high-quality protein and B vitamins.
However, due to seasonings like soy sauce (ganjang), tuna sauce (chamchi-aek), and red chili paste (gochujang), the sodium content may be somewhat high.
Individuals who need to monitor their sodium intake, such as those with high blood pressure, should be mindful of adjusting the seasoning.
💬 Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!