Dinner Banchans 4. Today, we take on 2 of my go-to banchans and 1 classic soup. (You know, you always gotta fit a soup into a proper Korean meal!) The banchans are Cucumber Beef Stir-Fry and Spicy Braised Tofu. And the soup of the day is Squid Radish Soup. Those three fit the definition of a classic homecooked meal.
You don’t see many recipes that involve cooking cucumber. But don’t dismiss it just yet. If you cook cucumbers properly, they taste marvelous. The crunchy texture is amazing with beef. Now, the key step in our Cucumber Beef Stir-fry (소고기오이볶음) is salting the cucumbers and then squeezing the water out of them. That way, the stir-fry doesn’t release too much liquid when it sits out on a plate.
The spicy braised tofu (두부조림) is also amazing. If you make it at home, I’ll guarantee you’ll be wanting to share the recipe with family and friends. The secret to this recipe is getting the right balance of soy sauce, gochugaru and garlic. Then letting it simmer so the flavors can blend and infuse into the tofu pieces.
The squid radish soup (오징어무국) is also one of my favorite homecook’d soups. I was debating whether to include this in our video as it looks so plain, so humble. But that’s the point! It’s not a heavy stew. Rather, it’s a light and refreshing soup that you eat with a bowl of rice. Eat in the morning for breakfast, or for dinner.
This is my 4th series of Dinner Banchans. Check out the others here…
- Dinner Banchan 3: Miso Soup, Oiji Pickles, Crispy Eggplant
- Dinner Banchan 2: Squid Fritters, Garlic Tofu, Wood Ear Salad
- Dinner Banchan 1: Dotorimuk (Acorn Jelly Salad), Beansprout Rice, Grilled Beef
Dinner Banchans 4: Cucumber Beef Stirfry, Spicy Braised Tofu, Squid Radish Soup
Ingredients
Cucumber Beef Stirfry
- Cucumber - 1 whole
- Salt - 1 Teaspoon for salting cucumbers to release water
- Minced beef - 100 grams
- Spring onion - 1 stalk forearm-sized
- Minced garlic - 1/2 Tablespoon
- Sesame oil - 1/2 teaspoon few drops
- Sesame seeds - few shakes for final garnish
Minced Beef Marinade
- Soy Sauce - 1 Tablespoon
- Sugar - 1/2 Tablespoon
- Minced pear or pear juice - 1 Tablespoon
- Mirin - 1 Tablespoon
- Black pepper - few shakes
Spicy Braised Tofu
- Tofu - 1 package 300 grams
- Water - 1/4 cup
- Salt - few shakes
Soy Sauce Marinade
- Spring onion - 1 piece forearm-sized
- Minced garlic - 1/2 Tablespoon
- Gochugaru - 1 Tablespoon
- Soy Sauce - 3 Tablespoons
- Mirim - 1 Tablespoon
- Sugar - 1/2 Tablespoon
- Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
Squid & Radish Soup
- Squid - 1 whole
- Korean Radish - 1 thick section measure length of your thumb
- Anchovy-Kelp broth - 3 cups
Soup Seasoning
- Minced garlic - 1/2 Tablespoon
- Salt- 1/2 Tablespoon
- Gochugaru - 1/2 Tablespoon
- Spring onion - 1 piece forearm-sized
Instructions
Cucumber Beef Stirfry
- Cut cucumber into thin slices. Place the slices in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle some salt (1 teaspoon) over the slices. Then toss the slices so the salt is evenly mixed in. Let it sit for 40 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, let's make the marinade: Mix together all of the ingredients under 'minced beef marinade'. Then place the minced beef into it. Stir it around and let it sit.
- Cut spring onion into thin slices.
- After 40 minutes, bend one cucumber slice with your finger. (It shouldn't snap.) Rinse the slices under cold water 2-3 times and get all the salt off. Then use your hands and squeeze the water out.
- Then take out a frying pan. Put on medium heat and put in some oil. Once it is hot, place spring onion slices in. Then add in the minced garlic (1/2 Tablespoon). Mix it all around. Then add in the marinated beef.
- Stir the marinated beef until there is little liquid left on the bottom of the pan. Then add in the cucumber slices. Stir it around for one minute. Turn off the heat.
- Now, take a quick sample of the beef. You can add in a few shakes of salt if it tastes slightly bland. Or add a pinch of sugar if it tastes too salty.
- Now turn off the heat. Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil (1/2 Teaspoon) to finish it.
- Garnish with sesame seeds. Bon Appetit!
Spicy Braised Tofu
- Take tofu out of package. Pat-down the tofu block with a paper towel to get rid of excess liquid. Cut the tofu into small bite-sized blocks. Then pat-down the pieces once more. Finally, salt each piece with a few shakes of salt (not too much).
- Cut spring onion into thin slices. Place into a small mixing bowl. Then add all of the other ingredients listed under "soy sauce marinade". Mix well.
- Take out a large frying pan. Put in oil and place on a medium-high heat. Then add tofu pieces in and let it develop a slight crisp on one side. (Give the frying pan a quick swirl to make sure the pieces are not sticking). Then flip each piece over and let it cook on the otherside.
- Once they get a crisp on both sides, place spoonfuls of the sauce onto each tofu piece.
- Next, put water (1/4 cup) into the frying pan. This will braise the tofu pieces. Let them gently simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Once the sauce reduces down, turn off the heat. Plate the tofu and eat with rice. Bon Appetit!
Squid Radish Soup
- Clean the squid. Cut into small bite-sized pieces. (Reference video for more details.)
- Peel Korean radish. Then cut into thin, small pieces. (Cut it thin, so it can boil quickly)
- Cut the spring onion into thin, small slices.
- Take out a pot. Place in the anchovy-kelp broth (3 cups). Then add-in the sliced radish pieces. Place on medium-high heat and bring it up to boil. Then, let it boil away for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add in the minced garlic (1/2 Tablespoon), salt (1/2 Tablespoon) and gochugaru (1/2 Tablespoon). Let the soup gently simmer for another 3-5 minutes (or until the Korean radish turns soft).
- Then finally add in the squid pieces. Let it boil for 2 minutes.
- Skim the residue off the top of the broth. Add-in the spring onion pieces.
- Bon Appetit!
Notes
- See video below for more details
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