Dubu-kimchi (Tofu with Stir-Fried Kimchi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide skillet, 12 inches if possible
• •Wide pot for warming tofu
• •Slotted spatula or spider
• •Large oval platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the kimchi

   Cut the kimchi into pieces about 1 1/2 inches wide and save 1/4 cup of its juice. Use kimchi that is properly sour, not just newly red from the jar. Fresh kimchi will taste flat in the pan, so if yours is young, let it sit at room temperature for a day before cooking, or choose another dish tonight.

2. 2

   Warm the tofu

   Bring a wide pot of water to a gentle simmer with 1 teaspoon salt. Slide in the whole tofu block and warm it for 5 minutes, then lift it out carefully and drain it on a clean towel. This firms the outside just enough to slice cleanly and seasons the tofu faintly, while keeping the center soft and plain.

   Do not boil the tofu hard. It only needs to be warmed through, because its job is to calm the kimchi, not compete with it.
3. 3

   Render the pork

   Set a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork belly and spread it into one layer. If you are using lean pork shoulder, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil first. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring only now and then, until the pork gives off fat and the edges begin to brown. The kimchi needs that fat; without it, the dish tastes sharp but thin.

4. 4

   Fry the kimchi

   Add the onion and cook 2 minutes, just until it starts to bend. Add the kimchi, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, and gochugaru. Stir-fry 7 to 9 minutes, pressing the kimchi against the pan so some edges darken. You are not making kimchi stew. The liquid should cook off and the cabbage should look glossy, deeper red, and a little collapsed.

5. 5

   Moisten and finish

   Pour in the reserved 1/4 cup kimchi juice and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the pan. Taste one piece of kimchi with a little pork. If it bites too hard, add only 1/2 teaspoon more sugar. Turn off the heat and fold in the sesame oil, scallions, sesame seeds, and sliced green chili if using.

6. 6

   Slice and serve

   Slice the warmed tofu into thick pieces, about 1/2 inch, and arrange them around one side of a platter. Pile the stir-fried kimchi and pork beside it, not on top. Each bite should let you choose how much plain tofu and how much hot sour kimchi you want. Serve at once with rice, or with makgeolli if this is the late table.

Chef Tips

• •The kimchi must be well fermented. Look for cabbage that smells sour and tastes lively before it goes into the pan. If it is only salty and fresh, the finished dish will need too much sugar, and then it stops tasting like kimchi.
• •Pork belly is traditional for a reason: its fat carries the sour cabbage and gives the pan something to brown. Pork shoulder works, but add the measured oil and do not expect quite the same richness.
• •Do not season the tofu beyond the salted warming water. The tofu is the quiet part of the plate. Let it taste like itself.
• •A teaspoon of gochujang is acceptable only if your kimchi is weak and pale, but do not reach for it first. Gochugaru gives color and heat without making everything sweet and heavy.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the pork, onion, scallions, and kimchi up to 1 day ahead and keep them refrigerated in separate containers. Keep the kimchi juice with the kimchi so it does not dry out.
• •The tofu can be warmed up to 30 minutes before serving and held, covered, at room temperature. Slice it only when plating, or the pieces weep and break.
• •Leftover stir-fried kimchi and pork keeps 3 days in the refrigerator and reheats well in a skillet. Make fresh tofu for serving, because reheated sliced tofu turns watery and tired.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)