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Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu (Kkampoong Tofu)

Why Did I Veganize This Dish?

I came up with this Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu recipe because it needed to happen. Like, there was a gaping maw in the universe that could only be filled once this recipe was created.

Ok, putting to one side my illusions of grandeur, let’s just say that this recipe was borne out nostalgia. Growing up, my family and I would go to this Korean-Chinese restaurant in K-Town called Great Seas. Great Seas was absolutely famous for its chicken wings, or Kkampoongi. Their walls were covered in photos of happy dinners who set and broke the “how many wings can you eat in one sitting” challenge, and it was no secret why. Their sauce was so good, it was jarred, labeled, and sold by the gallon. My family would go to Great Seas for all sorts of special occasions—birthdays, graduations, the day after a juice fast. When I went vegan, I knew I would basically never be able to eat anything at Great Seas again, so I set out to veganize it. And boy, was I ELATED with the results!

Put simply, this is literally the BEST EVER tofu recipe I’ve ever made and I’m pretty sure it’ll be the same for you!

My Tricks For Making This Recipe.

  • Make sure to press your extra firm tofu to remove excess liquid. This will ensure your tofu chunks are nice and crunchy.
  • Use potato starch in lieu of corn starch or flour to not only keep this dish gluten free, but to make your tofu extra crispy.
  • Use my favorite gluten free soy sauce in order to keep this entire recipe gluten free!
  • Use vegetable oil in lieu of extra virgin olive oil in order to ratchet up the heat.
  • Make sure not to allow the crunchy tofu bites to sit in the sauce too long before serving—the longer they sit in the sauce, the softer they will become.
  • Serve with rice and water—this dish is SPICY!!

Other dishes to try:

Spicy & Crunchy Garlic Tofu (Kkampoong Tofu)

5 from 2 votes
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu pressed and chopped into 1/2 inch bite sized chunks
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons potato starch plus 1 extra teaspoon
  • 7 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 red onion diced
  • 2 Korean green chilis, sliced can sub seeded jalapenos
  • 2 whole scallions white parts chopped, green parts sliced on a bias
  • 1 Tablespoon gochagaru
  • 1-1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 Tablespoon mirin can leave out if you don't have any
  • 4+1 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/8 cup dried red chilis can leave out if you don't have any
  • 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • To a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of potato starch to tofu chunks. Gently toss the tofu to make sure they are all evenly coated. Set aside.
  • Prep your vegetables by mincing the garlic, dicing the onion, slicing the Korean chilis, and chopping up the scallions.
  • Prepare the sauce by mixing together gochugaru, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, mirin, and 1 teaspoon of potato starch. Set aside.
  • To a very large non-stick pan, add 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. When oil is very hot, add coated tofu chunks in one layer,making sure they are not touching each other. If they touch, they will stick to one another.
  • Cook the tofu and flip them one by one, until they are brown on all sides (approximately 7 minutes). Remove the tofu chunks from the pan and set them aside on a cooling rack to drain the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
  • When all of the tofu has been fried, in the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the garlic, onions, chilis, and scallions and saute the vegetables until the garlic starts to brown.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the sauce, stirring it with a wooden spoon until it reduces down into a thick sauce (approximately 30 seconds). Turn off the heat.
  • Gently add back the fried tofu and stir everything together, so that the tofu chunks are evenly coated in your sauce.
  • Garnish the tofu with ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
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Mains

Omma’s Gamja Jorim (Braised Potatoes)

Why This Gamja Jorim Recipe Is Different.

I love braised tomatoes and my mom knows it, which is why she makes me Gamja Jorim almost every time I come over to her house. There are lots of braised potato recipes out there (including this one!), but this particular recipe for Gamja Jorim is—wait for it—simplified! I’ve reduced this recipe down to just a handful or ingredients, so that it’s too easy to make, while maintaining that explosion of flavor that makes Gamja Jorim so popular.

braised potatoes in cast iron pan

What Does “Gamja Jorim” Mean?

What is Gamja Jorim, you ask? “Gamja” means potato and “jorim” means braised. The potatoes are braised in a mouthwatering broth over a period of time, until they are almost break apart tender. If you love potatoes, you will love this dish, not only because it tastes amazing, but because it takes so little effort to prepare.

How To Eat Gamja Jorim.

My mom made this for us the other day when we came over for Father’s Day lunch. My husband could not stop raving about the potatoes and luckily, there was plenty for us to take home and eat again for dinner. We threw them into a bowl of rice, together with some sautéed greens, sprouts, zucchini, and mushrooms, and we had ourselves a perfect bibimbap. Of course, they are also good all by themselves.

Tips For Making The BEST Gamja Jorim Ever:

  • Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces—if they are too large, they will take too long to cook.
  • Make sure to get some color on your potatoes before adding any liquid.
  • If you can’t find Korean chilis, use green bell peppers or jalapenos (if you can take the heat!). DO add some kind of peppers, though.
  • After adding the braising liquid, cover the potatoes—the steam will help them cook faster.
  • Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes of cooking (when your potatoes are just about done), so they don’t turn mushy.

Other recipes to try:

Omma’s Gamja Jorim (Braised Potatoes)

If you love potatoes, you will love this dish, not only because it tastes amazing, but because it takes so little effort to prepare.
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 large potatoes chopped into bite size pieces
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 red onion chopped
  • 3 Korean chili peppers can sub green peppers or jalapenos
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce use GF to make the recipe GF
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • In a large pan over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot and shimmery, add 3 potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces
  • Allow the potatoes to cook in the pan for about 4 minutes, until they start to get browned. Then, add 3-4 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 chopped red onion, and 3 sliced Korean chili peppers. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Continue to cook the veggies in the pan until onions start to grow translucent (~3 minutes). Add 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce and 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup. Stir until veggies are evenly coated.
  • Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Then, cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for approximately 12 minutes, removing the lid every once in awhile to baste the potatoes with the braising liquid.
  • When potatoes are almost done cooking, remove the lid altogether and continue “basting” until liquid is reduced and thick and potatoes are tender.
  • Drizzle potatoes with 1 tsp of sesame oil and add 1 tsp of toasted sesame seeds, just before serving.
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EntreesGluten FreeMains

Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw

Why This Black Bean Burger Recipe is Worth Trying

This Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw recipe is one that I’ve worked and reworked for years until I could honestly say that it is the best black bean burger I’ve ever eaten. I have been eating black bean burgers ever since I went vegan (four years ago). The overwhelming majority of the black bean burgers I’ve eaten, while flavorful, lack any sort of real texture. I don’t care how much umami you inject into something—if it’s just a big ball of mush in your mouth, it’s not going to taste great. So, over the years, I’ve employed all sorts of little tricks to maximize flavor while also maintaining texture.

I Hate Black Bean Burgers That Fall Apart, Don’t You?

I don’t know about you, but I hate food that is difficult to eat. It’s one of the reasons I always steered clear of “wings”—I hated getting my hands so messy. Korean cuisine is actually a fairly neat affair—from the eater’s point of view. The use of chopsticks facilitates precision and minimal touching of food, unless of course you want to (like when you’re eating lettuce wraps or rice cakes). It thus always drove me CRAZY whenever I bit into a sandwich or burger and the insides simply oozed out the sides and onto my plat or, worse, my lap.

You Can Watch Me Make a Version of These on my Instagram

So, these Black Bean Burgers with Slaw incorporate all my little tricks, some of which I picked up from veteran cooks, to make sure each bite is satisfying and bursting with flavor. I remember the first time I made these on my Instagram stories (tKV 14 in my Highlights), everyone was AGOG at the “CRUNCH” they heard when I bit into it. When I made these for my husband last night (after wrapping up a Chibo class on how to make these), my husband commented, “MAN!! These are the BEST!!” And let me tell you, he is a right old connoisseur of black bean burgers (it’s one of his favorite foods).

Live Testimonials From Folks Who’ve Tried This Recipe

Here’s a little clip from my Chibo class, where some of the participants raved about this Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw:

Summary of My “Tricks”

I know a lot of you weren’t able to join the class (they sell out pretty quickly). So, I thought I’d put down the recipe here, so that you could try it for yourself. Here is a brief summary of my tricks:

  • Roast the beans in the oven until they split apart, to dry them out and add texture.
  • Add walnuts (toasted if you want!) to provide a little extra fat and bite.
  • Bind the patties with aquafaba (the bean juice left in the can).
  • Add onions and garlic sauteed with soy sauce for extra umami.
  • Dredge the patties in potato starch and coat with bread crumbs for CRUNCH.
  • Top burgers with vegan cheese, caramelized onions, and a slaw to add extra texture and balance out the flavors with a little acidity.

And with all that, you should be more than READY to have the Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw of your ever-loving life. So, have at it!!

Best EVER Black Bean Burger with Slaw

5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 can black beans with liquid
  • 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1/2 large red onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce use tamari to stay gluten free
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
  • 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 1 cup bread crumbs regular or gluten free
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 small carrots
  • 2 small cucumbers
  • 5-6 leaves red cabbage
  • 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 4 slices vegan cheese
  • 4 hamburger buns vegan/gluten free

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Empty 1 can of beans into colander over a bowl to collect the liquid. Donot discard liquid.
  • Once beans are fully drained, spread them in one layer on baking sheet. Place in oven for ~13 mins, until beans begin to split apart.
  • Chop up 1/2 onion and 3 cloves garlic. Saute with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
  • Season with salt and pepper. When onions start to brown, deglaze pan with 11/2 tbsp soy sauce and ½ tbsp of maple syrup.
  • Set aside 1/2 sauteed onions. Place remaining half in food processor and pulse 3-4 times. Dump into a large bowl.
  • Add 1/3 cup of walnuts to food processor and pulse 5-6 times and place in large bowl with onions.
  • When beans are cooked and out of the oven, place in food processor and pulse ~15-17 times until they have consistency of small pebbles. Add to large bowl.
  • Add rice, 1-2 tbsp potato starch, 1/2 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp garlic powder, ½ tbsp chili powder and 2 tbsp reserved liquid from can of beans. 
  • Mix with a spoon or your hands until a "dough" forms. Quarter the dough and divide into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a thin patty. 
  • Dredge each patty in potato starch, coat with reserved bean liquid, and then coat with bread crumbs. Set aside in refrigerator.
  • Julienne 1 carrot, ½ cucumbers, and 2-3 cabbage leaves and place in a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp mustard and 1 tbsp maple syrup, together with salt and pepper. Mix.
  • Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat.When pan is hot, add patties (do not crowd pan).
  •  Cook for ~5 mins and flip. Add cheese to each patty. Cook on stovetop with lid on the pan to melt cheese OR place in the oven at 450 degrees F for 3-4 minutes. 
  • Assemble by adding patty to bun, topped with caramelized onions and slaw. Serve with your favorite side dish (fries, duh). 
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