Doenjang Bibimbap & Dotorimuk (Korean Acorn Jelly)

Doenjang Bibimbap. This has been our go-to lunch for the last few weeks. It’s a simple meal that is quick, healthy and best of all, light on your stomach. In this recipe, we will simmer doenjang paste in a light broth until it turns chunky. Then toss in fresh tofu and spread it over a bowl of hot rice. Ultimate Korean comfort food!

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This dish reminds me of lazy summer days in the early 90’s. My mom would leave for work and I would find nothing in the fridge. But there would be a pot of leftover doenjang stew on the stove from the previous night. I would put the leftover stew on high heat and throw-in a spoonful of rice. Then fry up an egg and throw that into the pot as well. Then mix everything together and make a quick-and-dirty bibimbap. With some Kimchi on the side, it’s the very definition of comfort food to me.

The key step in this Doenjang Bibimbap is to give the deonjang stew enough time to simmer and reduce. That’s because we’ve added alot of strong, complex flavors: pungent doenjang, fresh minced garlic and spicy gochujang. If you taste the soup in the beginning, you’ll be like “ahh, what is this?”. But after 10-15 minutes of boiling, you’ll be like “ahh, exactly this!”

(Note: In Korea, the proper name for this dish is gang-doenjang-bibimbap (강된장비빔밥).  The gang (강) means “strong”)

Alrighty, enjoy ya’ll! Dan-yul out 🕺

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Doenjang Bibimbap & Dotorimuk Banchan

A simple, hearty bibimbap that brings out the flavors of fresh doenjang. 

Course Easy

Servings 1 people

Ingredients

Doenjang Bibimbap

• Tofu - 1/2 block 150 grams
• Zucchini - 1/3 length of your pointer finger
• Onion - 1/2 
• Shiitake Mushrooms - 2
• Spring onion - 1 stalk length of your forearm
• Cheongyang chili pepper - 2 peppers or use 1 Jalapeno

Doenjang Seasoning

• Doenjang - 2 Tablespoons
• Gochujang - 1/2 Tablespoon
• Minced garlic - 4 teaspoons not Tablespoon!
• Anchovy-Kelp Broth - 1 cup

Dotorimuk Banchan

• Dotorimuk acorn jelly - 400 grams 
• Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoons
• Vinegar - 2 Tablespoons
• Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
• Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
• Sesame seeds - 1 Tablespoon
• Seaweed sheets - 5-8 

Instructions

Prep Bibimbap:

• You'll want to eat with rice, so get some rice started.
• Now for prep: Cube tofu piece into small blocks. Then cube the zucchini, onion and shiitake mushrooms into small pieces. Next, cut the chili peppers and spring onion into thin slices as well.
• Place a pot on medium heat. Then place in the zucchini, onion, and Shiitake mushrooms pieces. Stir around and sweat the vegetables for 1 minute. 
• Then add-in the Doenjang (2 Tablespoon), Gochujang (1/2 Tablespoon), Minced Garlic (4 teaspoon). Mix it all around in the pot. 
• Then add in the anchovy-kelp broth (1 cup)
• Raise the heat to a medium-high and let the stew simmer and reduce for at least 10 minutes. Stir the pot once in a while as it reduces.
• Once lot of the liquid has reduced (you'll see larger bubbles), add in the tofu cubes and chili peppers slices. Let it reduce for 3 more minutes. 
• Once the soup turns chunky, it's finished. Get a ladle and scoop over a bed of hot rice. Bon Appetit!

Make Dotorimuk

• Put water into a pot and bring up to boil. Blanche the dotorimuk for 1 minute. Then slice into bite-sized squares.
• Use your hands and shred-up the seaweed sheets.
• Make dressing by mixing: Soy Sauce (2T), Vinegar (2T), Sugar (1T), Sesame Oil (1T), Sesame Seeds (1T) and Seaweed Sheets (5-8 sheets). Thoroughly mix everything together.
• Use your chopsticks to place some of the seaweed sheets over the dotorimuk. Then drizzle the dressing over all the pieces. Bon Appetit!

Notes

• Feel free to add some beef or seafood into the stew
• If stew tastes too salty, add some water or broth. If it tastes too bland, add more doenjang paste.
• See video below for more details

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