Dish of the Week: Soon doo boo chigae (Korean tofu stew)
Where: Lighthouse Tofu/Vit Goel, Mandu, Adam Express

When most people think of Korean food, they’re used to mostly barbecue and rice dishes like galbi (short ribs), bulgogi (rib eye), and bi bim bap (rice mixed with vegetables and meat). But there’s a whole world of deliciousness in their stews and soups, like yook gae jang (spicy beef and scallion soup), kimchee chigae (kimchee stew), and soon doo boo chigae (Korean tofu stew). (Note that these transliterations vary dramatically on menus and on the interwebs.)

I have a strong attachment to soon doo boo chigae, because it is packed with protein from tofu as well as from meat or seafood and the optional egg. Not to mention the spicy, meaty dish is one of the most palatable ways for tofu naysayers to start loving the stuff.

It is a great dish for winter, and if you order it in a restaurant, it comes out blazingly hot in a cast iron bowl. The tofu is uncompressed, giving it a more custardy texture, and is cooked in what is usually a clam-based broth. Many restaurants will also utilize beef or pork broth. The stew is filled out with shavings of meat and/or chunks of seafood, lashings of spice, scallions, and mushrooms. Finally, depending on personal preference, you can top off your bubbling mix with a raw egg, mixing it in to reduce the heat and thicken the texture. Cooling things down by spooning the stew on to a bowl of rice is an option, though others may decide to dump rice into the mix.

Lighthouse Tofu specializes in the dish, and is definitely the preferred choice for dining out on soon doo boo. Not only do they feature a variety of animal protein options, but they also have five spice levels – “white” (or unspiced), mild, medium, spicy and spicy spicy. The spicy spicy is quite intense, and makes even the biggest heat geeks break out in sweats. My personal preference has always been the beef or pork varieties, making Mandu and Adam Express slightly less desirable, but, at least, more local options.

Image used under Creative Commons license from bro0ke