Korean braised silken tofu with mushrooms

Similar to mapo tofu but without the meat, this vego version uses Gochujang, a Korean chilli bean paste that lends a well rounded to the dish without melting your taste buds. If fresh Asian mushrooms aren’t available, try using rehydrated shiitake and black fungus.

Credit: Sharyn Cairns

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 150 g frozen edamame (see Note)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp finely shredded ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 180 g wombok (see Note) or white cabbage, shredded
• 2 tbsp Gochujang (Korean red chilli paste) (see Note)
• 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• ground white pepper to taste
• 300 g silken tofu, drained, cut into 4 cm cubes
• 150 g Asian mushrooms, roughly sliced
• 5 spring onions, cut into 4 cm lengths
• steamed brown rice to serve

Instructions

Steam or boil the edamame for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and when cool enough to handle slip the beans from the pods. Set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a wok over high heat. Add the ginger and garlic, cook for 30 seconds then add the wombok and stir fry for 2 minutes until just starting to wilt. Add the stock and kochujang and bring to the boil, stirring until the kochujang dissolves. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and white pepper to taste. Simmer for 2 minutes, add the tofu and spoon some sauce over the top. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, edamame and most of the spring onions and gently combine (the mushrooms don’t have to be completely submerged). Cover and simmer for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. 

Scatter over the remaining spring onions and serve with steamed rice.

 

Note

• Gochujang and edamame are available from Korean and Asian food stores.

• Wombok, also known as Chinese cabbage, is available from Asian grocers and some supermarkets. 

Photography by Sharyn Cairns. Styling by Lee Blaylock. Food preparation by Rachel Lane. Creative concept by Lou Fay.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.