Dubu Kimchi (Tofu with Stir-fried Kimchi and Pork)
What’s your favorite way to use up aging kimchi?
- 2 cups fully fermented kimchi
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced pork or pork belly
- 1/2 onion
- 2 scallions
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 - 3 tablespoons gochujang (고추장), Korean red chili pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- pinch pepper
- 1 18- oz package tofu
- Cut kimchi and pork into bite sizes. Thinly slice onion and scallions. In a large bowl, combine kimchi, pork, onion, scallions and the remaining ingredients and mix well. Let it stand for 15 minutes.
- In a medium size pot, bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Cut the tofu into two blocks. Reduce the heat to medium high, and add the tofu. Gently boil for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the tofu to a colander to drain. Cut each block into about 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Heat a large pan over medium high heat and add the kimchi and pork mix. Cook until the kimchi becomes soft, the pork is cooked through, and most of the liquid generated during the cooking process is evaporated, about 5 - 6 minutes.
- Arrange the tofu slices nicely on a plate leaving an open space in the middle part. Place the stir-fried kimchi and pork in the middle and serve. Or, you can serve the stir-fried kimchi and tofu side by side.
Dubu kimchi (두부김치) is one of many classic Korean dishes that use sour, old kimchi. The kimchi is stir-fried with fatty pork and served with sliced tofu. In Korean cooking, kimchi and pork is a classic combination which is used in many dishes, such as kimchi jjigae.
The taste is intoxicating, with the pungency of kimchi and the rich flavor of fatty pork. To make dubu kimchi, mix the kimchi, pork and aromatic vegetables with a few basic seasoning ingredients and stir-fry together.
You can omit the pork to make it a meatless dish if desired! Kimchi stir-fried on its own is still very tasty.
I usually boil the tofu because I like it soft. You can also steam it.
Pan-frying will make the tofu a little crispy on the outside, if preferred. You can serve this dubu kimchi as a side or a main dish with a bowl of rice.
In Korea, dubu kimchi is a popular drinking snack (anju, 안주), especially with Korean alcohol beverage soju (소주) or makgeolli (막걸리). My preference is with makgeolli!
