Name: Korean Soybean Paste Soup (Twoenjang - Tchigae)
Yield: Makes 8 First-Course Servings
Cuisine: Korea
Ingredients: salt and pepper; 4 scallions, both white and green parts, finely sliced; ½ pound daikon, about a 4-inch length, peeled and cut into fine julienne; ¾ cup kimchee, sliced into strips the same size as the beef; 1 tablespoon peanut oil; 5 cups water or beef or chicken broth; 3 tablespoons twoenjang or dark miso; 2 green Thai chilies or Jalapeño chilies, seeded and finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped, and crushed to a paste with the side of a chef’s knife; 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil; ¼ cup dark Japanese soy sauce; 2 cakes of tofu, preferably firm Chinese type, cut into ½-inch cubes; 12 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in just enough water to cover for 3 hours and quartered, or 12 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, quartered; ½ pound steak such as sirloin strip or tenderloin, sliced into strips about 1 by ⅛ inch thick

Preparation info

Makes
8
First-Course Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Splendid Soups

By James Peterson

Published 2000

About

Korea is the only country in Asia—except for regions of northern China—that uses beef as part of the regular diet. This delicious soup starts out with strips of steak marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and kimchee—Korean preserved cabbage. The Koreans eat kimchee with almost every meal, and once you’ve tasted it you’ll find it easy to understand why. Kimchee is easy to find in any grocery that sells Korean food products, or you can make it yourself.

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