Korean food question

[alison]

I would like to try my hand at a super SUPER spicy soup that I once had at a Korean restaurant. It comes piping hot to the table. It had tofu, veggies and an egg in it. What's this called? And if you can tell what it is from the bad description I've given, do you have a recipe for it?

Re: Korean food question

It could be Den Jan Chigae. Did it have zucchini? Let me check my recipes.


ETA: There are two spicy soups that I usually make, although I don't usually crack the egg on top.

Kimchi Chigae*

1 1/2 cup kimchi
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup lean pork (optional)
1/4 tsp beef boullion (could also be optional)
1/4 tsp red pepper powder
1/3 lb. tofu, cut into cubes
2 cup anchovy stock (could really use any kind of stock)

If using pork, stir-fry briefly in 1 TBSP oil. Then add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes.

*This is the spicier of the two soups I make. I typically bring it to a boil for 10 minutes, turn it off to let it cool a bit, and then re-boil it for a few minutes. It seems to make the flavor a little more intense.

Den Jan Chigae

1/2 cup beef (could be optional)
1 cup anchovy stock
2 TBSP soybean paste (den jang)
1 tsp hot pepper paste (gochujang)
1 cup diced tofu
1/3 cup each : zucchini, green onions, onions, mushrooms, Korean chili peppers. (could use any combination of veggies)

If using beef, boil with stock/bean paste/pepper paste for 5 minutes. Then add veggies and extra bean/pepper paste to taste and boil for another 5 minutes.

Tell me if either one of those sounds like it. If not, I have a couple other ideas.

[alison]

Re: Korean food question

It could be Den Jan Chigae. Did it have zucchini? Let me check my recipes.

It did have zucchini in it!

I google image searched what you have given me, but what I had looked a little less soupy and more stewy.

Re: Korean food question

If you add more of the Den Jang (soybean paste), it will make it a little thicker. It's similar to the cloudy stuff that floats in miso soup, if that makes any sense.

[alison]

Re: Korean food question

THANKS!!!!
It's sounds like the second one actually! I'm going to try this!
Do you put ground beef in? Or do you prefer doing just veggies?

Re: Korean food question

Dern it, I just put a reply in and it disappeared. I hope I didn't accidentally put it in the wrong forum.....

It would be more like beef stew meat than ground beef. I use flank steak, if we're poor. I use the beef because Hubby likes it better that way but it tastes just as good without it, if you're a veggie.

[alison]

Re: Korean food question

I'm not a vegetarian, but can do without meat more often than not. I never crave meat, but I often crave veggies!

I'm going to try out your recipes. I'll try out #2 first.

BTW: What is your connection to Korean food?

Thank you very much!!!

Re: Korean food question

It's so ironic that I've become the master Korean chef. I grew up in the Midwest with a working mom. Dinner to me either involved Kraft mac and cheese or cream of mushroom soup! Then I married a first-generation Korean American. He used to say "Is THIS what we're eating for dinner?" I caught on pretty quickly.

I cooked for my husband's whole family for four days over Thanksgiving and got tons of compliments. It was surreal!

[alison]

Re: Korean food question

That's great! Hopefully your husband has acquired a taste for some American dishes. German pastries and sweets are not as sweet as their American counterparts, but my husband LOVES frosting. He and his brother go through packages of stuff like Toasterstrudels. I can't eat the stuff.

My family cooks a lot of traditional Japanese food, but it's very work intensive. I like Japanese food, but it can be a bit salty. It's not spicy like Korean food, and I have a thing for getting a kick in the pants and a runny nose.

Re: Korean food question

It's so ironic that I've become the master Korean chef. I grew up in the Midwest with a working mom. Dinner to me either involved Kraft mac and cheese or cream of mushroom soup! Then I married a first-generation Korean American. He used to say "Is THIS what we're eating for dinner?" I caught on pretty quickly.

I cooked for my husband's whole family for four days over Thanksgiving and got tons of compliments. It was surreal!

you are so much nicer than I am! I married a 1st generation Indian, and if he said "THIS is what we're having for dinner?" I'd say "Yep!"

I can cook Indian food, but do it rarely. It's too much work.

[migirl]

Re: Korean food question

I'm embarassed that I'm 1st-generation Korean and have absolutely nothing to contribute to this thread.

My mom cooks fabulous Korean food, but I never bothered to learn from her. I can make exactly zero Korean dishes.

[alison]

Re: Korean food question

Notice that I said that "my family" cooks Japanese food. I don't, unless washing rice and putting it in the cooker counts.

My grandmother used to make hundreds of rolls of sushi, and used to give me the "unsightly" end pieces. To this day, I don't like to eat sushi at restaurants, because I can literally eat hundreds of pieces in one sitting.

I keep telling myself that I have to learn how to make sushi from my mom.

[madeintaiwan]

Re: Korean food question

Yum. I love this soup. I am going to give it a try. When I was growing up, my mom and I used to go get this soup all the time. I loved how it came out in a pot with flames in the middle of it.

Re: Korean food question

I'm embarassed that I'm 1st-generation Korean and have absolutely nothing to contribute to this thread.

My mom cooks fabulous Korean food, but I never bothered to learn from her. I can make exactly zero Korean dishes.

I'll happily take you under my wing.

[alison]

Re: Korean food question

I convinced myself that in order to properly make this, I'd have to go to a Korean restaurant and remind myself what the soup tastes like.

Um, yeah, it's still really good...