Stir-fries

Dubu Kimchi (Tofu with Stir-fried Kimchi and Pork)

Name: Dubu Kimchi (Tofu with Stir-fried Kimchi and Pork)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: tofu (firm) 1 block (about 300 g); well-fermented (sour) kimchi 1 cup (200 ml); pork 120 g; onion 1/2; Korean leek (daepa) or scallions 1/2 Korean leek; gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) 1 tsp; minced garlic 1 tsp; sugar 1/2 tsp; toasted sesame oil 1 tsp; cooking oil 1 tsp; salt a pinch

Briefly blanch the tofu in boiling water to take away the raw bean taste. Stir-fry the pork first until cooked, then stir-fry the kimchi and onion with it and serve next to the tofu.

Prep 10 min · Cook 27 min · Total 37 min · 2 servings · Medium

한국어로 보기 (Korean version)

Steps

1
Cut the tofu into 1.5 cm thick slices, blanch in boiling salted water for 1 minute, then drain.
Blanching tames the raw bean taste and keeps the tofu from breaking when you top it with the kimchi.
2
Thinly slice the pork, and cut the kimchi, onion, and leek into bite-size pieces.
Keep only 2 Tbsp of the kimchi juice.
3
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and stir-fry the pork for 4 minutes, until fully cooked with no pink inside.
4
Add the kimchi, onion, gochugaru, garlic, and sugar and stir-fry over medium heat for 4 minutes. When the liquid has cooked down, add the leek and sesame oil.
5
Arrange the blanched tofu on a plate and top with the stir-fried kimchi and pork. Eat the blanched tofu right away while it's warm.
If the tofu has cooled, warm it at the edge of the pan over medium heat for 1 minute and plate it together.

Substitutions

Instead of	Use	How
pork	80 g canned tuna, drained	Tuna is already cooked, so stir-fry it with the kimchi for just 2 minutes so it doesn't dry out.
sugar	leave it out	Unless the kimchi is very sour, the onion's sweetness is enough without sugar.

Storing leftovers

Store the stir-fried pork and kimchi separately from the tofu in the fridge and eat within 1 day. Tofu firms up in the fridge, so reblanch it in boiling water for 30 seconds before eating, and reheat the stir-fry in a pan over medium heat until hot all the way through before spooning it on. Don't freeze the tofu; only the pork and kimchi stir-fry can be frozen in portions.

Serve with

Rice and a clear soup. If you're serving it with drinks, add a few extra scallions on top.

Making more or less

If you add more pork, stir-fry it in two batches, and plan on half a block of tofu per person.

Questions

Why blanch the tofu for dubu kimchi?

Blanching tofu in boiling salted water tames the raw bean taste and firms up the outside slightly, so the slices break less when you plate them. Served raw, the tofu is cold and leaks water, which dilutes the stir-fried kimchi. Instead of blanching, you can also pan-fry it until golden.