Tofu Kimchi Bokkeum — Spicy Korean Stir-Fry with Cold Tofu

By Joe Bender

One of the key tastes of Korean cuisine is the sweet-spicy-savory combination from gochujang, a fermented chili and bean paste. Like a spicy miso, this powerful paste adds an incredibly rich and flavorful base to Korean stews (jjigae) and stir fries (bokkeum). I love having a tub of gochujang in the fridge — it keeps forever and is an amazing shortcut to a dense, flavor-packed sauce. This recipe is one of my favorites, combining a sweet-spicy stir fry with cold, smooth tofu for an incredible flavor and texture combination. The name is long, but it’s actually simple to make and can use pretty much any vegetables you have on hand — a healthy and satisfying meal to add to your rotation. Make it vegan with mushrooms or meaty with bacon, to your taste. 

Most of the ingredients are inexpensive and all are available at the Co-op.The gochujang is a bit more expensive at $6.26. But a tub goes a long way, and it will keep just about indefinitely in the fridge. One tip: If you don’t plan on using the gochujang in the next couple of months, you can transfer it from its tub to an airtight container, which will keep it from drying out.

Ingredients for the stir fry:

• 1 medium onion or 2 shallots, sliced

• 4 cloves garlic, smashed or coarsely chopped

• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, julienned or minced

• Vegan: 2 cups sliced mushrooms of your choice — any of the wild or cultivated mushrooms we have at the Co-op are terrific. King oyster, maitake, and beech are my favorites.

• Meaty: 4 slices bacon, cut into squares (uncured, thick-cut is best, but any will do)

• 4 long green chiles, mild to medium, cut on the diagonal into ¾ inch chunks

• 2 cups kimchi, coarsely chopped

• 1 medium carrot, julienned or sliced into thin planks about 2 inches long

• 3 scallions, sliced on the diagonal into long strips

• 1 Tbsp canola, safflower or other vegetable oil

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 1/4 -1/2  cup gochujang paste, to taste

• 1/4 cup soju, white cooking wine or dry white wine — water also works fine. We stock mirin (a Japanese cooking wine) at the Co-op. It’s a bit sweeter than similar products, which is a nice balance to the other spicy ingredients, but if you prefer less sweet you may be better off with soju, sake, or a dry white.

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce

• 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)

To serve:

• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds

• 1 block soft tofu — firm is also fine, to your taste

The trick to this dish is to stir-fry the ingredients quickly over fairly high heat, add the sauce to the hot pan, turn off the heat and let the sauce reduce and caramelize for a moment, which coats the stir-fry in a thick sauce. Because the frying goes quickly once you begin, it’s best to prep all the vegetables and make the sauce first so that you’re not playing catch-up with your chopping. I like this combination of veggies but you can easily add any others that strike your fancy — fresh cabbage, zucchini and greens like kale or chard all make nice additions.

To make the sauce, combine the gochujang paste, wine, soy sauce and optional sugar in a bowl and stir to a smooth sauce. The more gochujang you use here, the saucier — and spicier — the dish will be. Set sauce aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the mushrooms and/or bacon and fry until they start to brown around the edges (mushrooms like higher heat while bacon you want to cook longer at a lower heat to render some of the fat). Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and stir for a few seconds until you can start to smell the garlic. Add the onion or shallot and stir for another 30 seconds until it starts to change color, then add the chiles, carrots and kimchi. 

Continue to fry for another minute or two until the chiles are just beginning to soften. Add the scallions and stir to combine, then add the sauce, stir to coat, and turn off the heat. The sauce should sizzle loudly when you add it to the pan. Stir constantly until the sizzling goes down, the sauce is slightly reduced and the stir fry is coated with a thick spicy-savory-sweet sauce. Transfer the stir fry to a serving platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Add slices of cold, soft tofu on the side. Serve with short-grain brown or white rice.