Doobu Jorim

Does the title mean anything to you? I know the first word is tofu, but that's about it. A couple months ago, I found a brand new starting site called Bap Story. I love this site, and it has this recipe for soy seasoned tofu. It has all the Korean foods that I love and wish my mom knew how to make, if my mom were Korean. But alas, she is Taiwanese.

My mom, like most other Asian moms, be crazy. Hopefully this doesn't offend anyone, but she IS. Most people won't agree with me - everyone is always saying "your mom is so funny, your mom is so nice, your mom is so cute" etc etc etc. She may be those things now, but in high school we fought like cats and dogs. Like screaming at each other at the tops of our lungs style fighting. Nothing brought us closer together as me moving out of the house. She's mellowed out a lot more now that my brother and I aren't in high school anymore ... but as he says "When mom is nice, she's pretty nice. But when she's not, she's f**king crazy."

I hope my future-maybe-kids don't say that about me, but let's face it - they probably will. I saw evidence of this last night. Super tired from work, I felt like cooking (which of course, made me more tired - stupid me) and made steak, bok choy in ginger sauce and the soy seasoned tofu. Boyfriend is not a fan of tofu (he's Italian - is that an excuse?) but really enjoyed the green onion sauce on top - so much that he wasn't even eating the tofu, but was picking bits of green onion off the top. With his fingers. I snapped "Stop picking at it with your hands!" and then froze in horror. I actually love picking at food with my hands. This wasn't me talking - this was my mom! I'm doomed.

Doobu Jorim (Soy Seasoned Tofu)
from Bap Story

Soy Seasoning:
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 Tbsp honey
1/2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp green onion, chopped
1/2 Tbsp white rice wine

1 Tbsp water
1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 package firm tofu
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp flour
2-3 Tbsp cooking oil

Mix all soy seasoning ingredients together and set aside. Wrap tofu in paper towels for 10 min, to blot excess moisture. Mix together cornstarch and flour. Cut tofu block in half lengthwise, and then into 1/2 inch pieces. Dredge in cornstarch/flour mixture, shaking off excess.

Heat oil in flat bottomed pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, carefully place tofu pieces and allow to brown on one side (3-5 min). Flip over and allow to brown on the other side. Pour in seasoning (it will sizzle) and allow it to bubble - it will be absorbed by the tofu. When the sauce is almost all gone (about 3-4 min), take the pan off the heat. Serve garnished with additional green onions and sesame seeds.