Name: Korean Pork and Tofu Soup (Tubu-Tchigae)
Yield: Makes 8 Servings
Cuisine: Korea
Ingredients: 1 quart pork or beef broth or water; 1 small bunch of spinach, stems removed, cut into ½-inch strips; 2 Thai chilies or 4 Jalapeño chilies, seeded and finely chopped; 1 medium-size zucchini, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into ½-inch cubes; 4 scallions, both white and green parts, finely chopped; 2 cakes of Chinese-style firm tofu, cut into ¾-inch cubes; 4 teaspoons Korean soy paste (twoenjang) or dark miso; 3 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped, and crushed to a paste a 1-inch slice of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped; 1 tablespoon Japanese or Korean dark sesame oil; 1 pound well-trimmed pork loin or shoulder or 3 1-inch-thick pork chops; 4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds; ¼ cup Chinese chili paste; 2 garlic cloves, finely minced and crushed to a paste; 2 tablespoons rice or cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons dark Japanese soy sauce; 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil; 4 teaspoons sugar; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation info

Makes
8
Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Splendid Soups

By James Peterson

Published 2000

About

My first taste of Korean food was a revelation. Slices of kimchee, the spicy and savory dish of cold preserved cabbage, were served as an accompaniment to just about everything, and pulgogi, strips of marinated raw beef, were cooked on our own little grill placed in the center of the table. We also had this soup.

The Koreans work wonders with hot chilies and sesame oil and use a heady, hot chili and sesame seed paste called kochujang in many of their dishes, inc