Tofu Bibimbap, a rustic rendition in a stylish blog.

I am pleased to let you know that I was nominated for "Stylish blogger" by Tammy from Koreafornian Cooking. 

I like my blog, and I did spend some time and effort to beautify it. I only wish that I, as a person, would be as stylish as my blog... 

But I want you to imagine me (5'2" Korean woman) wearing a Versace gown with all the hair and make up, holding an Oscar on one hand and a piece of paper on the other.

So, here is my acceptance speech for this award, which is to let you know 7 things about me.

1. I have sung in front of Gladys Knight. I didn't know who she was until much later time.

2. I have suffered polio as a child, which caused my left leg to wear a brace my whole life.

3. I studied fashion design in college. But I do not look like a stylish designer.

4. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am a Christian.

5. I tend to talk(mostly in Korean) in my sleep. My husband told me that.

6. I hardly watch K-drama nor listen to K-pop. But I am 100% Korean. Weird, isn't it?

7. I can make pretty darn good apple pie, all from scratch. I will post that some day.

Below are the "pay it forward" stylish blogs that I enjoy visiting occasionally.

Tiny urban kitchen

Spicy green mango

Pig pigs corner

Tastes of home

The recipe I am sharing today is quite simple and rustic bibimbap. Anything can be bibimbap as long as you mix with rice and some sauce to go with it. 

I would like to introduce Korean soybean paste called "된장, Duenjang". Not everybody like this paste since it has very strong smell and pungent flavor. However, if you consider yourself a true Korean food addict, then the duenjang has to be part of your repertoire. I won't be lying if I say duenjang is #1 comfort food ingredient in Korea, especially among men.

If you never tried the duenjang, give yourself a chance to get to know it. The more you try, the better it will taste, and eventually you will get hooked.

I will show you how you can enjoy the duenjang with tofu and chives in bibimbap, a rustic rendition.

 *****

Gather up the stuff.

Tofu, duenjang (yellow bean paste), chili paste, Asian chives, vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, sugar, garlic, minced onion, and some roasted seaweeds, plus Korean chili flakes that I forgot to add in the list.

First, slice tofu and sprinkle some salt on top.  

Heat oil in a skillet and pan fry the tofu for 5 minutes on each sides over medium heat.

For detailed instruction on how to fry tofu, click here.

Meanwhile let's take a look at duenjang.

 Korean Duenjang on the left and Japanese Miso on the right. You can see the color difference.

Duenjang is made of 100% soy beans and has strong pungent flavor. Miso has some rice or barley added to the soy beans so it yields more milder and sweeter flavor than Duenjang. The types of bacteria that are formed during fermentation in both soy beans are different as well. 

I like them both in different ways. You can substitute Miso for this recipe if you like. But it won't be true Korean, though. Just to let you know...

I also highly recommend to get organic duenjang. It taste much better and almost like home-made.

It costs more but worth it.

Combine duenjang, a tiny bit of gochujang (Korean chili paste), garlic, and minced onion (I used dried). Add some water to make desirable sauce consistency.

Just like that. I can dip fresh cucumber sticks or green chilies in this sauce. You can even put a dollop on the lettuce wrap with Korean BBQ. So good together.

 In a bowl combine sliced chives with chili flakes, vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, sesame seeds, and garlic.

 Toss with hand so that they can get incorporated well. There are no better tools than human hands...

 When tofu slices are well fried, cut them into whatever size you like.

This is seasoned and roasted seaweeds, all time Korean table favorites. We usually use this seaweed to wrap some rice with. This is a black food, color of healthy food.

Cut or tear into small chunks for topping in the dish.

This bibimbap tastes better with mixed grain rice rather than white rice only. The mixture of brown rice, white rice, wild rice, barley, etc balances well with the sauce. Wholesome and rustic always go together. Dishes like this can help you understand why Korean foods are known for so healthy.

Totally vegetarian,

Truly Buddha's delight... 

Good for your stomach,

and your mind.

But

You will need a good mint afterward

for the sake of others around you.

(^.^)

Tofu Bibimbap

(두부된장 비빔밥, tofu duenjang bibimbap)

makes 4 servings

1 package (18 oz) firm tofu, sliced into 1/2" thick, about 7 slices total

pinch kosher salt or sea salt

2 Tbsp grape seed oil or canola oil

1/2 bunch Asian chives,  cleaned and sliced into 1 1/2" long sticks

1 Tbsp Korean chili flakes

1 1/2 tsp Korean anchovy sauce or fish sauce

2 tsp vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sesame seeds

2 sheets of Korean seasoned roasted seaweeds, crumbled

hot cooked mixed grain rice

Duenjang bibim sauce :

2 Tbsp organic Korean duenjang or Japanese miso

2 tsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)

2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp dried minced onion or 2 tsp fresh finely minced onion

1 small clove garlic, finely minced

Sprinkle pinches salt over sliced tofu on paper towel, let it sit for 5 minutes. Before you add the tofu slices to hot oiled skillet, Press each slices with dry paper towel to remove some moisture. Pan fry them for 5 minutes, each side, until golden brown crust forms. Cut each slices into desired bite size pieces.
Meanwhile combine chives with chili flakes, anchovy or fish sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a mixing bowl. Toss them well until all the seasoning gets incorporated with chives. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl combine all the duenjang sauce ingredients. Mix well. You can adjust amount of water for desired consistency.
To serve, place hot rice in a large individual serving bowl, top with tofu pieces and chives. Put 2-3 tsp of sauce on top and sprinkle with crumbled seaweeds. Mix well and serve.

Printable recipe