Dooboo Jorim (두부조림) - Braised Tofu

Dooboo Jorim (두부조림) is literally "braised tofu."  I think this name is a bit misleading, because when I think of braising, I think of a long, slow cooking process, whereas the tofu in this dish was only cooked for about 10 minutes.  Perhaps a better name might be "twice-cooked tofu."

I had some tofu that I needed to use up.  I've also had this giant Costco-sized bottle of Mr. Yoshida's sauce for what seems like forever.  Mr. Yoshida's is sort of thick and sweet, but it actually was perfect for this dish. It combines soy sauce, sweetener (in the form of corn syrup), mirin (rice wine), and some other spices.  This was also a good opportunity to finish off an onion (I had 1/8 of a medium onion left) as well as some green onions.

This was pretty tasty, but it was also quite spicy.  I think I happened to get a pretty spicy serrano.

Koreanized pulled pork

I really like pulled pork sandwiches and I decided to experiment to add some Korean flavors. The experiment was a tasty success, but I'm not quite ready to post an exact recipe.

Pickled moo #1 - Korean pickled radish and carrot

Moo chae (무채) is a Korean side dish made from moo (무), a Korean radish similar to daikon.  Moo chae may be spicy (like kimchi) or it may be sweet and sour.  This recipe is for the sweet and sour kind and includes carrots.

Galbi Jjim (갈비찜) - braised beef short ribs

Galbi Jjim (갈비찜) is a traditional Korean dish whose name translates literally as "steamed ribs" (갈비 = ribs, 찜 = steamed).  More accurately, galbi jjim is ribs (usually beef short ribs) cooked in a braising liquid that includes soy sauce, water, and sugar.  Garlic, ginger, pepper, and sesame oil may also be added.  The dish may also include one or more of the following: potatoes (or korean radish or 무), carrots, chestnuts, mushrooms, jujube, and ginkgo nuts.  Variations include spicy galbi jjim (매운갈비찜) as well as pork galbi jjim (돼지갈비찜).

My recipe keeps things pretty simple.

Experimental Noodles with Meat Sauce (no recipe)

This was an experimental "zha jiang mian" that I made tonight.

bin dae dduk (Korean mung bean pancakes)

Bin dae dduk (빈대떡) or nok doo jeon (녹두전) are traditional Korean pancakes made from ground mung beans (녹두).  I usually put kimchi (김치) and pork in mine.  I leaned how to make bin dae dduk by watching my mom.  It's always been one of my favorites and is a comfort food for me.  My mom still makes bin dae dduk for me every now and then.  This time, I made some for her!  I've been making it for years, but this is the first time I actually tried to measure out the ingredients.