At a Korean table, a variety of side dishes (banchan) will clutter and cover an entire table to the corners and edges. Each diner is set with their own bowl of rice, a spoon, and chopsticks. A soup or stew is a standard for every mealtime during a Korean meal. As such, a single pot of soup is set in the middle of the table for everyone to eat from directly. Due to the long reach to the communal pot, Korean spoons have longer handles than other culture’s spoons for this reason. Interesting, right? You’re welcome for that tidbit of trivia knowledge. Don’t ever say I never gave you anything.
This tofu soup comes together in no time, and as I explain in the notes below, is very flexible in ingredients as well. The silken tofu’s luscious and soft texture is carried through a mildly spicy soup base with small nibbles of vegetables and meat along the way. Share this pot of stew with your family or some friends, or eat the whole thing by yourself. There’s no wrong way to enjoy this fragrant and bubbling mess.
Notes: This soup can easily be made vegetarian or even vegan! You can also swap the seafood for beef or pork and it will be just as delicious. I made this version of tofu soup to accompany Korean Green Onion and Seafood Pancakes (Pa Jun) so I used the same seafood for both dishes to make it easier on myself. If you omit the animal broth and/or meat, I recommend a spoonful more of kimchi and a bigger glug of sesame oil for more flavor. This is a mild version, so feel free to add Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) or sliced spicy peppers to your liking. Also, I had a difficult time tracking down silken tofu – so don’t be discouraged if you can’t find it, either. Soft tofu is a perfectly delicious substitute for this soup.
Serves: 1 – 4Time: 20 minutes1/4 cup chopped seafood (I used shrimp and squid.)3 clams1 tablespoon grape seed oil (or any other neutral oil)1/4 cup chopped kimchi2 cloves garlic, minced1/4 cup diced mushrooms1/4 cup diced zucchini1 cup of stock (vegetable, seafood, chicken, beef) or water14 ounces silken tofu1 teaspoon kosher salt1 tablespoon sesame oil1 tablespoon green onion, thinly sliced
1 egg