Dooboo Kimchi - Tofu w/ Fermented Cabbage - 두부김치

Dooboo Kimchi is a popular appetizer or anjoo (side dish; often in reference to a side dish consumed with alcohol) that is popular while drinking Korean soju.  It’s a very simple dish that consists of boiled tofu, kimchi and some meat (optional).  Tofu is usually placed alongside kimchi as they are eaten together as a whole.

Serving presentation may differ from various restaurants, including Korean bars, but kimchi is normally placed in the center of a plate with tofu slices around the perimeter. To eat, kimchi can be placed on top of the tofu and washed down with a shot of soju, thereafter.  The meat ingredient can include beef or pork strips (samgyupsal) but it can be left out to be severed as the perfect vegetarian dish. Lastly, it is garnished with chopped green onions for its final touch.

Recipe Ingredients

• 1 package dooboo
• 1½ cups aged kimchi
• ¼ lb beef pork (thin strip)
• 1 tbsp kochukaru (red chili pepper flakes)
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 green onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Cooking Directions

1. In a pot, fill enough water to cover the whole block of tofu and bring it to boil.
2. Add some salt and boil tofu for 5-7 minutes.
3. Drain well, cut in half and slice ½ inch thick. Keep it warm.
4. Sauté garlic in vegetable oil and add beef.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. To prepare kimchi ingredient, chop and drain well.
7. Add kimchi, red chili pepper flakes, and soy sauce. Cook for 4-5 minutes and add sesame oil.
8. On a plate, put kimchi in the center and cubicle tofu pieces on the side or around the perimeter of the plate.
9. Sprinkle chopped green onions for garnish.

Man Doo - Korean Dumpling - 만두

Mandoo is a Korean dumpling consisting of minced meat and vegetables wrapped in a thin piece of dough. Popular meat fillings include shrimp, ground beef, pork or fish. And popular vegetables ingredients can include bean sprouts, green onions, shredded kimchi and much more.

Korean mandoo can be cooked in several ways: simmered in beef stock, steamed or fried.  It is usually dipped in soy sauce mixed with vinegar and served with kimchi on the side.  Crushed or powder red peppers can be added to the mixture of sauces to add an extra kick.  Traditionally, mandoo dumplings were made at home but nowadays, it is readily available in Asian supermarkets and/or convenience stores in the frozen foods section.

Mandoo is usually enjoyed as an appetizer or as a snack but almost all Korean families prepares this dish on the first day of any New Year by simmering mandoo's in a beef stock to make mandoo-guk.

Gim bop - Korean Style Sushi Roll - 김밥

Gimbop is considered one of the most popular and nutritious Korean meal. It consists of rice and strips of vegetables, egg, and meat, rolled in laver (dried seaweed) and sliced. This is a popular snack or lunch that can be made with infinite variety of ingredients, using different kinds of meat and/or vegetables. Popular ones include bulgogi, spinach, pickled radish, and eggs. At first glance, gimbop often resembles a Japanese maki or a sushi roll. However, there are a few differences between the Japanese sushi roll and the Korean-style gimbop. The main difference is that Japanese sushi rolls are rather minimal in ingredients. Sushi rolls usually consists of just tuna or salmon within the roll whereas gimbop contains a variety of ingredients as mentioned earlier. Also, while the Japanese use raw fish (sashimi) in their sushi rolls, Korean gimbop do not contain any raw fish. Lastly, Japanese sushi is often dipped in wasabi while gimbop usually has sesame oil. Korean 101: Gim refers to the sheets of dried seaweed, and bop is the Korean word for cooked rice. Recipe Ingredients 1 bunch spinach, steamed 2 carrots, cut in long thin strips 1  yellow pickled radish, cut in long thin strips 2 tbsp vinegar 1 tbsp sugar 1 piece thick sliced ham or Spam, cut in long thin strips and fried 1 egg, fried like omelet and cut in long thin strips 3 cups of cooked rice 1 tbsp sesame seeds 2 tsp sesame oil 1 package roasted seaweed sheets Cooking Directions Stir fry carrots with salt and pepper. Mix radish with vinegar and sugar. Mix rice with the sesame seeds and sesame oil. Place one seaweed sheet on a bamboo sheet.  Put rice on half of the sheet and add 2 pieces of spinach, 1 carrot strip, 1 radish strip, 1 ham strip, 1 egg strip on top of rice.  Roll in a log and squeeze tight.  Use some rice to stick the seaweed together to keep it rolled. Place a little sesame oil in your hands and rub it on the seaweed roll. Put a little sesame oil on knife to cut roll.