A Taste of Korea: Kimchi Tofu Soup

Hello there! I hope every one is having a fantastic month of April!  Around this time last year, my husband and I were packing our suitcases and moving from our home in Seoul, S. Korea to Hawaii.  I love island life, but I do miss the culture, and especially the flavor of Korean cuisine.  I recently created a simply satisfying soup recipe that holds true to many of the tastes I fell for whilst living there.  One spoonful and I was whisked back to bustling street markets, packed subways, and the sun setting across the mountains that surround the city.  I hope you can give your taste buds a ride with this Korean Kimchi Tofu Soup! 

The ingredients in this soup can be found at any Asian market.  Here is what you need: 

• Jarred Kimchi, 14 oz
• Precooked Soba noodles (you could also use Ramen)
• 1 big bunch of green onions
• 1 big bunch of bok choy
• 1 container of medium density tofu
• 1 Tbsp (or more depending on how spicy you can go) of Korean red chili paste.  Note: if this is tricky to find, I’ve also made it with Thai red chili paste. It alters the flavor a bit, but it works.
• 2 cans chicken noodle soup.  You could also use vegetable soup or another variety if you want to keep it vegetarian.  
• 5 cups chicken broth (or vegetarian option choose a vegetable base)

Pour your soup cans into a large pot.  Add the 5 cups broth, or use my quick trick and mix 5 cups water with the coordinating amount of jarred chicken base.  I love having this on hand for soups!  Turn heat to medium.

Wash and then chop all your greens:

Go back and check on your broth.  Add a Tbsp, or more of chili paste.  Stir well.

Next dump in the greens, the jar of Kimchi, your soba noodles (I had the precooked variety so they only had to heat up) and slice your tofu.

I always drain my tofu in the sink first and then slice it into bite-sized pieces right in the container.  Less mess!  Dump that into your soup pot and give everything a good stir.

Bring your soup to a boil, then place the lid on and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Pour out into your favorite bowl and sit back to soak up some spicy, comforting flavor:

Just remember, in keeping with Korea tradition, SLURPING your soup is just fine.  The more noise, the tastier it is!  Also, do not leave your chopsticks in your bowl whilst trading between them and your spoon, this is considered bad luck.

Why? Often at graveyards families honor their deceased by leaving a bowl of rice or food at the grave, with chopsticks sticking up.  So if you do this with your food, you are inviting the spirits to eat with you!

 

I hope you enjoy this quick, easy Korean soup!

The possibility of ADVENTURE in every day, Lindsay from simply2suitcases.com