Meatless Monday: When Kimchi Becomes an Addiction

True story. I got my hands today on Chongga kimchi because the tiny container (unfortunately I forgot the brand) I bought a few days ago finished in 2 sittings. I decided that the 1kg Chongga kimchi was the one for me. I kid you not, this was all for me.

When I sampled it, I decided that it was too sweet and not at all spicy for me. The hunt for kimchi has begun!

My afternoon was turned upside down because I had to hunt for coriander powder as well as my beloved kimchi. So my shopping journey literally brought me first to Little India in Brickfields and subsequently to the many Korean marts in Hartamas.

What began as an arduous journey to different cultural destinations became an inspiration for dinner.

Here’s the recipe for Meatless Monday’s special. I call it the K-Namaste Noodles. (25 mins)

Ingredients:

200g Korean Chewy Noodles (jjolmyun noodles)
2 tofu blocks, diced
Scallions
1 tsp Gochujang (Korean Pepper Paste)
½ tsp of freshly grounded dried chillies
¾ tsp of mustard
1 tsp Squid sauce/Tamari
1 tsp of Kashmiri Chili Powder (As opposed to conventional Chili Powder, Kashmiri Chili Powder provides the beautiful colour and aroma of chili without the heat)
1 tsp sugar

Cooking Steps:

Noodles:

Bring water to a boil. When water bubbles, throw the noodles in for 3 min. Remove from hot water and rinse with cold water to deter noodles from cooking further.

Paste & Assembly:

Heat non-stick pan and pour a little oil
Add dried chili paste and stir it until it dries up. Pour some water, watch paste siizzle. Add sugar
Add Gochujang and stir
Add mustard and stir (if paste gets too thick, add a little water). Ensure consistency is not too runny
Add squid sauce or tamari
Add Kashmiri powder, continue to add water to ensure that the paste stays fluid enough for coating
Add tofu, followed by the noodles
After a few stirs, add scallion. The scallion must only go in when there are 8-10 seconds left before switching off the fire.