Photo: Japan Vegan Town
Vegan Korean stew recipe adapted from Japan Vegan Town
One of the most wonderful things about Korean cuisine is its hearty stews – or jiggae – that can instantly brighten up any bad day. It arrives on the table piping hot, and seasoned with an abundance of hot red chillis to fire up your appetite.
While many may think that jiggae is meat-based – starting with the broth – plenty of traditionally vegetarian versions already exist and these tend to be accidentally vegan. In fact, the magic of its deep umami flavor stems from a dynamic duo of fermented soybean pastes named gochujang and doenjang. The former is spicy while the latter has a bold savory flavor.
Here, Japan Vegan Town shares a recipe that’s surprisingly easy to make. It has a light yet really rich and flavorful base with a kick of spice from gochujang and doubanjiang. The recipe calls for soybased “meat” but you can replace it with seitan or simply omit it if you so wish.
Serve piping hot with a bowl of white rice.
See also: Craving Japanese street food? Here’s a vegan takoyaki recipe
Ingredients
250g chinese cabbage
20g garlic chives
1 pack shirataki noodles (optional)
150g tofu
2 shiitake mushrooms
50g enoki mushrooms
For soybean meat seasoning
30g soybean meat (belly type)
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp kelp soup stock
1 tbsp kudzu powder
For soup
½ bag kelp soup stock
1 tsp Doubanjiang (bean sauce)
1 tbsp Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp miso paste
200ml water
Method
Cut Chinese cabbage, garlic chives, tofu, shirataki noodles, shiitake mushrooms and enoki mushrooms.
Soak the soybean meat in hot water for about 5 minutes. When it becomes soft, wash it with water a couple of times. Then, drain it in a colander and squeeze out the water lightly.
Mix all the soybean meat seasoning ingredients in a bowl and add soybean meat.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat and transfer soybean meat and sauce into the pan. Stir fry soybean meat until tender.
In a larger pot, add all the soup ingredients and mix well.
Add Chinese cabbage, garlic chives, tofu, shirataki noodles, shiitake mushrooms and enoki mushrooms. Cook until Chinese cabbage is tender.
Transfer the soybean meat into the pot and boil them.
