Kimchi Mushroom Soft Tofu Stew (Vegetarian)

A piping hot kimchi tofu stew is the perfect pick-me-up for any day of the year. A spicy and slightly sour stew that's filled to the brim with tofu and mushrooms.

Korean stews are extremely versatile and were one of my favorite dishes when I first discovered Korean food. At restaurants, the dish is served bubbling hot with a raw egg that you can crack right in. Sour kimchi, Korean red chili flakes and sesame oil flavoring the broth. What I love about this dish? Being able to make it at home whenever I was craving it!

What do I mean when I say this stew is versatile? There's so many kinds of proteins and other additions to add into the broth! Seafood tofu stew, beef tofu stew, soybean paste tofu stew, tofu stew with dumplings...

Ingredients

The soup base is so vital to this dish and making it taste just right. Since we're making a vegetarian friendly version, we'll be creating a homemade shiitake mushroom broth as the foundation.

For the soup base:

• Dried shiitake mushrooms: It's important to used dried mushrooms since we'll be using the liquid that it soaks in to further flavor the broth. These can be found at any Asian store in the dried goods section and come in vacuum-sealed packages.
• Kimchi: You can use store-bought kimchi or homemade kimchi. The key is to use sour kimchi (which is kimchi that has been fermented for a long time!). It's ok to use freshly made kimchi, especially if you've just made it at home, but just know that the flavors won't be as developed. Use some of the kimchi juice in your broth as well!
• Zucchini, onion, and garlic
• Gochugaru: Korean chili pepper flakes gives the stew a nice spicy kick
• Gochujang (Korean pepper paste): Gochujang is moreso optional, but I like to add it into my tofu stews to partner with the gochugaru
• Soy sauce
• Toasted sesame oil
• Mirin: Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine, you can sub rice vinegar, but the taste will then be more sour.
• Scallions: Use half the scallions for the base and half the scallion to top when finished.

Toppings:

• Soft or silken tofu: You must use soft or silken tofu for this dish and not firm tofu.
• Remaining chopped scallions
• Egg
• Salt (to taste)

Serve with:

• White or purple rice

Step-by-step instructions

1. Soak dried shittake mushrooms in a bowl of cold water so the mushrooms are fully submerged (about 2.5 cups). For optimal flavor, soak the mushrooms in cold water overnight in the fridge. However, if you're short on time, you can soak the mushrooms in hot water for around 30 minutes.
2. While waiting for the mushrooms to soak, prepare the onions, scallions, zucchini, and garlic.
3. When mushrooms are ready, remove mushrooms from liquid and squeeze out any excess water. Remove the stem of the mushroom (these are tough to eat!) and then slice for the soup.
4. In a pot, add sesame oil and stir-fry onions and scallion until onions are translucent.
5. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Then add zucchini, kimchi, sliced mushrooms, soy sauce and mirin. Continue to sauté for 2 more minutes.
6. Add in gochugaru and gochujang and stir until the base ingredients are nicely coated.
7. Add in the mushroom broth and bring to a gentle boil.
8. Slice the tofu block into cubes and add into the broth. Taste the broth and season with salt accordingly.
9. Let simmer for another 5 minutes. Top with more scallions.
10. While still boiling hot, crack in a fresh egg and let the heat of the broth lightly poach the egg.
11. Serve with a hot bowl of rice!

How do I make shiitake mushroom broth?

The key to a flavorful mushroom broth is to soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in cold water overnight. As mentioned above, you must use dried mushrooms as fresh mushrooms will not pack the same richness. Dried shiitake mushrooms can be found in any Asian grocery store in the dried goods aisle, and are typically found in vacuum-sealed packages.

For this recipe, soak the 4 mushrooms in about 2.5 cups of water.

If you're short on time, then you can soak the mushrooms in warm water for around 15-20 minutes or until they are soft until to use in a dish. However, you will not yield the same results as the cold water method mentioned above.

You can keep the mushroom broth for about 2-3 days or freeze for a longer period, but I recommend using it freshly made!

What type of tofu can I use?

You must use either soft or silken tofu for this dish. Soft or silken tofus are best when used in stews or soups, while firm or extra firm tofu is better for grilling, baking, or frying since these types of tofus hold less moisture.

Looking for more vegetarian tofu recipes?

• Vegetarian Mapo Tofu
• Gochujang Baked Tofu
• Cold Silken Tofu with Chili Soy Sauce
• Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets

📖 Recipe

Print Pin

5 from 17 votes

Korean Mushroom Soft Tofu Stew

A piping hot kimchi tofu stew is the perfect pick-me-up for any day of the year. A spicy and slightly sour stew that's filled to the brim with tofu and mushrooms.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Cuisine Korean

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 2

Author Julia

Ingredients

Soup base

• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked in 2.5 cups cold water)
• ½ white onion
• ½ stalk scallion
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ zucchini
• ½ cup kimchi (chopped)
• 2 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flake)
• 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese rice wine)
• 2 tablespoon kimchi juice (optional)

Toppings

• 14 oz silken tofu (sub soft tofu)
• ½ stalk scallion

Instructions

• Soak dried shittake mushrooms in 2.5 cups of cold water so the mushrooms are fully submerged. For optimal flavor, soak the mushrooms in cold water overnight in the fridge. However, if you're short on time, you can soak the mushrooms in hot water for around 30 minutes.
• While waiting for the mushrooms to soak, prepare onions, garlic, zucchini, and scallions.
• When mushrooms are ready, remove mushrooms from liquid and squeeze out any excess water. Remove the stem of the mushroom and then slice mushrooms for the soup. Keep the liquid to use for broth!
• In a pot, add sesame oil and stir-fry onions and scallion until onions are translucent.
• Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Then add zucchini, kimchi, sliced mushrooms, soy sauce and mirin. Continue to saute for another 2 minutes.
• Add in gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)¹ and gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) and stir until the base ingredients are nicely coated.
• Add in the mushroom broth (from soaking the mushrooms) and bring to a gentle boil. You may not need all 2.5 cups depending on the size of your pot. If you have reserved kimchi juice, add in about 2 tbsp.
• Slice the tofu block into squares and add into the broth. Taste the broth and season with salt accordingly.
• Let simmer for another 5 minutes. Top with remaining scallions.
• While still boiling hot, crack in a fresh egg and let the heat of the broth lightly poach the egg.
• Serve with a hot bowl of rice!

Notes

1. If you want less heat, reduce gochugaru to 1 tbsp.