N othing beats a cold like something warm, spicy, and simple tasting. Korean food is underestimated. In fact, most people believe that the only thing Koreans are able to produce is kimchi. Sure, kimchi is great. I love kimchi to death but come on! Korean food is beautiful! I say beautiful for the fact that they utilize simple flavors to make a meal downright tasty. In Korean cuisine, there are two basic methods of food preparation: stir fry or stew. That’s vaguely typical in most Asian cuisine but China and Thailand lean more towards stir frying while Indonesia and India tilt the opposite way and stew. Japan is just in between, I think, supplying a good balance between stews and frying.In Korea, one type of meal is referred to as ‘chigae’ or ‘jjigae’ which means stew. Anything can be stewed: chicken, beef, tofu, fish, etc. A stew is also abundant with vegetables, such as potatoes, mushrooms and so forth. Flavorings of the simple water based stews are anchovies - dried but I used a paste - lots of garlic, chilis, and soy bean paste. Soybean paste is miso’s cousin, known as deonjang. It is saltier, thicker, and more pungent than miso considering that during the fermentation process, sometimes anchovies are added. The unfortunate part for celiac is that it contains wheat flour as a thickener just like miso is traditionally fermented over barley. Due to this, I made my own mock soybean paste. Well ‘mock’ as in I didn’t really ferment it because that would take too darn long and I wanted my stew.
To make your own soy bean paste, simply boil the soy beans until soft. This usually takes, on slow/low heat, about six to eight hours. The reason being is that soy bean skins are very, very tough and you don’t want to rapid boil any beans because it would turn them into mush more quickly or the exterior would cook swifter than the interior. Once the soybeans are cooked, mash them coarsely with garlic, lots of salt, little bit of sugar, and a bit of sesame oil if you have it on hand. If not, a tablespoon of regular oil will work - preferably a non pungent flavored oil like olive. It wouldn’t hurt if it was low in saturated fats either.
The fun part, to me because I’m a dork, was the assembly. To serve, you place a mound of white rice in a large bowl, add the dressed salad greens, and then ladle on the soup. Mix it together and then eat, quite like bibimap. Bibimap is great for those on a low budget because the dish essentially is comprised of a bunch of ingredients - traditionally with chili pepper paste. Chili pepper paste, by the way, is not rooster sauce or sriacha but if that’s all you have, it will do.
So if you’re tired of traditional Chinese stir-fries or Japanese hibachi style meals, give Korean a try because its not just kimchi. There’s more. Much. Much. More.
Deon Jang Chigae
1 serving cooked white rice
2 oz block tofu, cubed ¼ inch thick
1 small potato, cut into ½ cubes
½ small onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, cut into ½ cubes
4 reconstituted shitake mushrooms, quartered
1 tbsp soybean paste (see above recipe)
1-2 dried chilis, crushed
Chopped garlic
1 tbsp anchovy paste
1 cup mushroom, chicken, or vegetable stock
1 cups water
Salad Dressing
2 tbsp GF soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 packet sugar free substitute
1 tbsp hot pepper paste (I added a lot more because I like heat!)
1 tbsp minced garlic
½ tbsp sesame oil
2 cups fresh greens
Bring two cups of water, stock, or combo to a boil and add garlic, anchovy paste, and chilis. Next add the potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and onions to the pot. Reduce the pot to a medium simmer, cover, and cook for fifteen minutes. Once fifteen minutes have past, stir in the soy bean paste, tofu, and salt to taste. Let that cook for a few more minutes then cover and turn off the heat.
Prepare the greens with the dressing. Then, as I stated before, place the gorgeous white rice in a large, large bowl. Add the greens, and then spoon over the scrumptious stew. If your heat tolerance is high, add a large dollop of hot and spicy pepper paste.
If that doesn’t clear your head, nothing will.
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In Korea, one type of meal is referred to as ‘chigae’ or ‘jjigae’ which means stew. Anything can be stewed: chicken, beef, tofu, fish, etc. A stew is also abundant with vegetables, such as potatoes, mushrooms and so forth. Flavorings of the simple water based stews are anchovies - dried but I used a paste - lots of garlic, chilis, and soy bean paste. Soybean paste is miso’s cousin, known as deonjang. It is saltier, thicker, and more pungent than miso considering that during the fermentation process, sometimes anchovies are added. The unfortunate part for celiac is that it contains wheat flour as a thickener just like miso is traditionally fermented over barley. Due to this, I made my own mock soybean paste. Well ‘mock’ as in I didn’t really ferment it because that would take too darn long and I wanted my stew.
To make your own soy bean paste, simply boil the soy beans until soft. This usually takes, on slow/low heat, about six to eight hours. The reason being is that soy bean skins are very, very tough and you don’t want to rapid boil any beans because it would turn them into mush more quickly or the exterior would cook swifter than the interior. Once the soybeans are cooked, mash them coarsely with garlic, lots of salt, little bit of sugar, and a bit of sesame oil if you have it on hand. If not, a tablespoon of regular oil will work - preferably a non pungent flavored oil like olive. It wouldn’t hurt if it was low in saturated fats either.
The fun part, to me because I’m a dork, was the assembly. To serve, you place a mound of white rice in a large bowl, add the dressed salad greens, and then ladle on the soup. Mix it together and then eat, quite like bibimap. Bibimap is great for those on a low budget because the dish essentially is comprised of a bunch of ingredients - traditionally with chili pepper paste. Chili pepper paste, by the way, is not rooster sauce or sriacha but if that’s all you have, it will do.
So if you’re tired of traditional Chinese stir-fries or Japanese hibachi style meals, give Korean a try because its not just kimchi. There’s more. Much. Much. More.
Deon Jang Chigae
1 serving cooked white rice
2 oz block tofu, cubed ¼ inch thick
1 small potato, cut into ½ cubes
½ small onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, cut into ½ cubes
4 reconstituted shitake mushrooms, quartered
1 tbsp soybean paste (see above recipe)
1-2 dried chilis, crushed
Chopped garlic
1 tbsp anchovy paste
1 cup mushroom, chicken, or vegetable stock
1 cups water
Salad Dressing
2 tbsp GF soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 packet sugar free substitute
1 tbsp hot pepper paste (I added a lot more because I like heat!)
1 tbsp minced garlic
½ tbsp sesame oil
2 cups fresh greens
Bring two cups of water, stock, or combo to a boil and add garlic, anchovy paste, and chilis. Next add the potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and onions to the pot. Reduce the pot to a medium simmer, cover, and cook for fifteen minutes. Once fifteen minutes have past, stir in the soy bean paste, tofu, and salt to taste. Let that cook for a few more minutes then cover and turn off the heat.
Prepare the greens with the dressing. Then, as I stated before, place the gorgeous white rice in a large, large bowl. Add the greens, and then spoon over the scrumptious stew. If your heat tolerance is high, add a large dollop of hot and spicy pepper paste.
If that doesn’t clear your head, nothing will.