Kinoko-iri sundupu / soondupu jjigae Korean soft tofu stew with mushrooms

A tasty Korean soft tofu stew has made a comeback at our table! My now typical lineup of seasonings to reduce overall sodium -- shoyukoji soy sauce rice malt, shiokoji salted rice malt and (brown) rice vinegar -- works like a charm again here. The strong taste and aroma of dashi stock made of niboshi dried young sardines and konbu kelp is softened to a deeper note by adding the water used to rehydrate dried shiitake, which is one of assorted mushrooms that go into the stew. All in all, this is very satisfying, filling dish.

248 calories (1/2 of recipe); 18.9 g protein; 13.9 g fat; 16.1 g carbohydrate; 10.1 g net carbs; 574 mg sodium; 219 mg cholesterol; 6.0 g fiber


<Ingredients>

For stock
2 medium or 5-6 small niboshi/iriko dried young sardines
1-2 small pieces (3 cm square) konbu kelp
350 cc water

For goodies
300 g extra soft tofu
4-5 hoshi-shiitake dried shiitake mushrooms (13 g when dried; 54g after rehydrating)
50 g enoki mushrooms (51 g in photo)
1 medium or large eringi king oyster mushroom (74 g in photo)
2 eggs
1 serrano pepper
1 fresno pepper
1 green onion

For seasonings
5 tsp (2 1/2 tsp each) yangyeom seasoning mix for soondupu soft tofu stew
6 small shami Chinese dried shrimp (6 g in photo; 3 each; optional)
1 1/3 tsp (2/3 tsp each) soy sauce
1 1/3 tsp (2/3 tsp each) nam pla fish sauce
1/2 tsp (1/4 tsp each) shiokoji salted rice malt

<Directions>
1.
Rehydrate dried shiitake.

2.

Prepare dashi stock.
Remove heads and bellies of niboshi, dry roast in pot until aromatic, add water and kelp, and bring to boil on low heat.
Remove kelp immediately before boiling, and continue simmering on medium low to medium heat for 10 minutes or so.

While skimming white foam that appears on surface. 

Strain and obtain 250 cc niboshi-kobu dashi stock (add water if not enough or save any excess for another use). 

Add 50 cc liquid from rehydrating dried shiitake, and obtain 300cc dashi stock.

3.

In each individual clay pot, put half of soft tofu and stock as well as seasonings, and bring to boil.

4.

Meanwhile, remove root ends of enoki and cut in half, slice shiitake, and tear eringi.
Slice serrano and fresno peppers and green onion, and set aside.

5.

When broth boils, reduce heat to medium to medium low, add shiitake and eringi mushrooms, and continue cooking.
When eringi is almost done (turns somewhat transparent), add enoki, and continue cooking until mushrooms are done.

6.

Add serrano and fresno peppers, egg, and green onion. 

Ready to serve.

<Notes>

• Rehydrating dried shiitake and making dashi stock can be done ahead of time.
• This is not super spicy, especially when egg is added. Use more hot peppers to increase spiciness.
• Adding the water used to rehydrate dried shiitake to dashi stock is not necessary when using donko type dried shiitake (ones with thick umbrellas), as this type gives a superb flavor boost on its own.
• Any mushroom, especially mild-tasting ones, works great. Using a few kinds results in a more complex flavor and is recommended.
• Pay attention to the overall amount of tofu and mushrooms -- too much would naturally make the stew taste bland.
• The above nutrition figures are when using 50% reduced sodium soy sauce containing 470 mg sodium/tablespoon, nam pla containing 690 mg sodium/tablespoon, shiokoji containing 546 mg sodium/tablespoon, and shami Chinese dried shrimp containing 450 mg sodium/30 g. Yangyeom seasoning mix is also made with shiokoji containing 546 mg sodium/tablespoon, 50% reduced sodium soy sauce containing 470 mg sodium/tablespoon and shoyukoji made with the soy sauce.
• Without reduced-sodium yangyeom seasoning mix or lower sodium end products, the dish's sodium content easily go up by 3-4 times.
• To further reduce overall sodium content, skip shami Chinese dried shrimp (would reduce sodium by 15 mg or so) or egg (reduction of around 70 mg per serving), use egg yolk only (60+ mg reduction), use only one egg or less for 2 servings, or use uzura tamago quail eggs (containing 17 mg sodium per egg). The quickest way to cut sodium is to leave some soup in your bowl (more than 100 mg reduction when 3 tbsp is left in bowl, according to my experiments).  

(Last updated: November 22, 2016)