Baek Jong Won’s All-Purpose Soft Tofu Sauce
Baek Jong Won’s All-Purpose Soft Tofu Sauce
Master the Versatile Soft Tofu Sauce: Perfect for Mapo Tofu, Stews, and More!
While I’m not usually a big fan of soft tofu myself, Baek Jong Won’s all-purpose sauce for it is incredibly useful once made, so I’ve been making it regularly! With this sauce prepared, you can enjoy not only soft tofu stew but also dishes like Mapo Tofu and various other stir-fries. It’s truly convenient. ^^ (1 cup = standard paper cup, 1T = tablespoon)
Ingredients- 1 cup ground pork (you can add more according to your preference!)
- 1 cup green onions, finely chopped
- 2 cups onions, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 1/2 cup minced garlic
- 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
- 1+1/2 cups gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 1+1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup soup soy sauce (Guk-ganjang)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the essential ingredients: green onions and onions. Finely chop the green onions and mince the onions. If you add more ground pork than the recipe states (1 cup), the sauce will be less salty and result in a richer flavor. You can also adjust the soy sauce accordingly when increasing the meat.
Step 2
Now, in a pan, combine sesame oil and cooking oil in equal parts, totaling 1/2 cup, and add the chopped green onions. Sauté the green onions until they wilt slightly and release their fragrant aroma. This step is crucial for infusing the oil with onion flavor.
Step 3
Once the green onions are fragrant, add the ground pork and stir-fry. It’s important to break up the meat as you add it to ensure it cooks evenly without clumping. Continue to cook until the surface of the pork turns completely white.
Step 4
After the pork is cooked, add the finely chopped onions. Stir-fry them until the moisture from the onions evaporates and only the oil remains. This step is key to the sauce’s shelf life; thoroughly cooking out the moisture is essential for long-term storage and preventing spoilage.
Step 5
Now it’s time to bring all the flavors together! To the cooked ingredients, add the minced garlic, coarse sea salt, gochugaru, and the mixture of soy sauce and soup soy sauce. Stir everything well to combine. Cook for a short while longer, ensuring all ingredients are evenly distributed, and your flavorful Baek Jong Won’s all-purpose soft tofu sauce, glistening with chili oil, will be ready! (Note: This sauce is seasoned for use in stews and stir-fries, so it will taste quite strong on its own. However, when used in a stew with added water, the saltiness will be perfectly balanced.)
Step 6
The quantity of sauce produced is quite generous, so you might not use it all at once. For long-term storage, divide the sauce into convenient portions using resealable bags, then freeze them. This way, you can easily take out what you need, and it will remain fresh for a long time. ^^
