Soy Seasoned Tofu (Doobu Jorim)

This is another common dish on Korean menus. It's popular because it is super healthy, costs nothing to make and so delicious. There are many variations but we like this version because the layer of corn starch adds a little crunchy texture. We really can't stop making this dish. Hope you like it too.

Ingredients for Soy Seasoning:
4T soy sauce
1t minced garlic,
1/2 t red chilli powder,
2t sesame seeds,
1/2 T honey,
1/2 T sugar,
4T chopped green onion,
1/2T white rice wine (or any white cooking wine),
1T water
1/2 T rice vinegar
1/2 t sesame oil

Other Ingredients:
1 package of firm tofu
3T corn starch
3T flour
2-3 T cooking oil
extra sesame seeds and chopped green onions for garnish

1. Mix all the ingredients for soy seasoning in a bowl. Set aside.


2. Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel. Slice half lengthwise then into 1/2 inch slices.

3. Mix the corn starch and flour in a shallow bowl. Then dredge the tofu slices in the mixture. Shake off the excess.

4. Heat oil in a fry pan. When pan is hot place the tofu in the pan. Heat for 3-4 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.

5. Flip the tofu slices and cook the other side until it is golden brown. If the pan is too dry add an extra tablespoon of oil.

6. Spoon all the soy seasoning onto the tofu slices. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is mostly gone.

7. Put on serving plate and garnish with extra green onion slices and some sesame seeds.

Enjoy while it's still warm! It's great with rice and kimchi or with an ice cold beer.

Korean Miso Soup with Manilla Clams

Another staple in a Korean meal is soup. No matter what kind of food you are having, or where you are having it, chances are there will be some kind of soup on the table. We just love our soups. And half the time it will be some variation of Korean miso soup.

Today we will be making it with Manilla clams.


Ingredients:
1 pound Manilla Clams
2 tablespoons Korean soybean paste (Found in Korean markets sold in a plastic tub.)
1/2 jalapeno pepper sliced thinly seeds removed
1/2 bunch of enoki mushrooms (Found in most Asian markets.)
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper powder (Also found in most Asian markets. Don't use cayenne or western chilli powder. It will taste confusing.)
3 tablespoons of green onions slices plus some extra for garnish
4-5 dried anchovies (Found in asian markets sold in bags, but can be skipped if not available.)

1. Prep the clams: discard any clams that are open and scrub the rest under running water. Then soak in water for half an hour.

2. Start the broth: bring 5 cups water and the dried anchovies to a boil. Lower heat then remove anchovies after 8 minutes.

3. Lower the heat and add soybean paste to the broth by pushing it through a strainer with a spoon. We do this so the soup is smooth without any bits of bean floating around. Discard the chunks that don't go through the strainer.

4. Add the garlic and clams to the pot. Bring to boil for a minute then let simmer on low until the clams are all open.

5. Add the enoki mushrooms, green onions, jalapeno slices, and red pepper. Let cook for a couple minutes or until the veggies are slightly wilted.

6. Serve into bowl and top with some green onion slices for garnish. Enjoy!

Basic White Rice

This is going to be a boring yet essential post as rice is the staple of a Korean meal and it's quite easy to ruin a good meal by botching up the rice.

1. Choosing the rice. Get short grain or sushi rice. Small bags can be bought in any grocery store but we like to go to Asian markets and get the 20 pound and up bags. They are usually stacked at the entrance ways. Kind of like dog food bags as one friend put it.

2. You can use an electric rice cooker and if you don't have one, a regular pot with lid is fine too.

3. Follow cooking instructions on bag of rice. If you don't have any measuring cups handy you can use this trick that a lot of Korean moms use. Put a big handful of rice per serving in the pot, and for the water  just put in enough to not quite cover the tops of your fingers.

4. When the rice is done, use a spatula to fluff it. Then serve.

And there you have it. The most basic staple Korean food. Add a fried egg, some soy sauce and sesame oil and you have a quick and easy meal or midnight snack.

Welcome to Bap Story

'Bap' is the Korean word for rice but also means food or meal. So you can imagine how much comfort we find in this word.

We will be sharing delicious, easy, homestyle recipes that anyone can make as well as insider tips on shopping in a Korean market and the best places to go for certain dishes. Like who sells the best white daikon kimchi, and where to get the best hangover soup. Yum.


FYI, we are by no means expert cooks. We just love Korean food and want to make it easy for everyone to love it as well.


Stay tuned for our first recipe!

xo
Jeana and Bo