Right about now, whether you live in the north or the south, this is what you want to eat: a hot pot of steaming, spicy, and nourishing broth. This hot pot takes its name from pillowy soft tofu, but there’s much more going on in this soup besides sundubu (tofu): there’s pork, clams, egg, and beef via the broth. It’s both rich tasting and enriching to the body. Again, perfect vortex food.

 

This same dish was one of several served at the DCCC potluck for The Korean Table, held during somewhat balmier times this past November in Vermont. The authors, Taekyung Chung and Debra Samuels, attended the potluck. This was an absolute first in DCCC history. Debra lives in Boston, not too far way, and Taekyung just happened to visiting the states with her family during the time the club was reading and cooking from the book.

 

I wasn’t there. Having moved less than two months prior from Vermont to Richmond, Virginia, I just couldn’t quite extricate myself from my new home town to make it back (plus, with Mike out of town, our aged twenty-year-old kitty was exactly going to take care of himself). But I do regret missing the event, heartily. From everyone at the potluck, I heard that having the authors present made their experience of the book much, much richer. Truly, their presence was a gift.

 

Going forward, I hope there will be other opportunities for the club to involve local authors. A big focus of this club, for me and other club members, is supporting local farmers and eating seasonally. But until this last potluck, I hadn’t quite made the leap from “local food” to “local author.” Perhaps that’s partly because I assumed there wouldn’t be a lot of cookbook authors living in Vermont (the whole state only has just over 600,000 people). But it’s amazing who can be hidden away, or not so hidden away, right in your back door. (Iddy biddy Vermont can boast Gesine Bullock-Prado, Molly Stevens, Judith Jones, and probably many others I’m not aware of.)

 

So if you’re a member, the next time it’s your time to suggest a book, think about researching who might be living nearby—in your city, in your state, or in a neighboring state. When there’s an offer of good food and good conversation, you never know how far an author may be willing to travel.

 

Tofu and Clam Hot Pot
Sundubu Chigae

(Lightly adapted from The Korean Table by Taekyung Chung and Debra Samuels)

 

Serves 2

 

3 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 ounces boneless pork cutlet, cut into thin strips
2 cups beef stock (see Notes) or water
¾ pound soft tofu (see Notes)
1 to 2 tablespoons Seasoned Red Pepper Paste (see recipe, below)
6 fresh clams, well rinsed
1 egg
Green tops of 2 scallions, sliced on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces
Salt, to taste

 

1. Pour 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil in large saucepan and set over medium heat.
2. Add the pork and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the stock or water and cover with a lid. When the liquid comes to a boil, add large spoonfuls of the tofu to the pan.
3. In a small bowl, combine the pepper paste and a few tablespoons of the hot soup and mix until the sauce has dissolved. Add the thinned sauce to the soup and mix thoroughly.
4. Add the clams to the pot, cover, and cook over medium until the shells have opened. Discard any clams that did not open during cooking.
5. Carefully crack the egg into a small bowl, then gently slip it into the soup. Do not stir. Scatter the scallion tops across the soup and drizzle in the remaining 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Increase the heat to high and cook for 1 minute, or until the egg is just set. Taste and season with salt, if needed.

 

Notes: To make Korean beef stock, combine beef back ribs in ample water and simmer for 1 hour, covered, skimming off any foam or scum that accumulates on the surface. Add chunks of daikon radish and well-cleaned leeks and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Drain and season to taste with salt and pepper. A shortcut would be to simmer chunks of daikon radish and well-cleaned leeks in a good-quality store-bought beef broth.

 

The Korean tofu used to make this soup is extra-soft and custardlike. At a Korean market, look for tofu labeled “extra-silken” or “extra-soft” tofu (순두부 Soondubu); if it’s in a tube, that is another clue. Otherwise, simply buy the softest tofu available at a conventional grocery store.

 

Seasoned Red Pepper Paste

Makes 6 tablespoons

 

This makes more than you need for the Tofu and Clam Hot Pot. I hope the leftover paste is incentive for you to lay your hands on a copy of The Korean Table, which will open up a world of other recipes that use Seasoned Red Pepper Paste.

 

2 tablespoons Korean coarse red pepper flakes (gochu garu; see Note)
3 tablespoons Korean red pepper paste (gochujang; see Note)
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce, preferably low sodium or Korean
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

 

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients until well combined. Transfer to an air-tight glass container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

 

Note: Authors Taekyung Chung and Debra Samuels stress the importance of using Korean red pepper flakes and Korean red pepper paste to create authentic Korean flavor. Don’t even think about using a substitute!, they say, but much more gently. To procure these two key ingredients, you will need to visit a Korean market or place an online order.

 

(Recipes from The Korean Table by Taekyung Chung and Debra Samuels. Photography by Bhakti Ziek. Recipe for Tofu and Clam Hot Pot reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, http://www.tuttlepublishing.com/.)