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–+ servings

Kimchi Tofu Soup Recipe for One

This 15-minute kimchi tofu soup recipe brings the Korean restaurant experience home. A quick, spicy, and comforting meal for one!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Dinner, lunch, Main Course, main dish
Cuisine: Korean
Calories: 370
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for 1 serving. Double the ingredients if you are cooking for two.
  • 150 g kimchi
  • 200 g soft tofu
  • 50 g seafood mushroom (You can also use enoki mushroom, shiitake mushroom, or any type of mushroom you like.)
  • ½ tbsp sesame oil
  • 15 g onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp soybean paste (Can be substituted with soy sauce *see note 2)
  • ⅘ cup chicken stock (Or vegetable stock, or rice water *see note 1)
  • ½ tsp Korean chili powder
  • 1 egg (Optional)
  • salt to your taste (Optional, depending on how salty your kimchi is. I didn't add any salt to my soup.)
Toppings
  • green onions
  • 1 to 3 small fresh chili peppers (Optional if you can't handle spicy food)
  • cilantros (Optional)

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Cut 150g of kimchi into bite-size pieces using scissors or a knife and set aside.
  2. Cube 200g soft tofu into 2-inch pieces. Slice a small onion wedge. Trim and discard the seafood mushroom roots. Peel and slice a garlic clove. Chop the green onions, fresh peppers, and cilantro, then set aside.
Making the kimchi tofu soup
  1. Heat the sesame oil in a small stone bowl or saucepan over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
  2. Stir in the onion and garlic using chopsticks for about one minute until fragrant. Add the kimchi and stir for one minute until heated through.
  3. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the soybean paste until well combined. Add the tofu and mushrooms, then pour in enough chicken stock or water to submerge the tofu.
  4. Sprinkle the Korean chili powder into the soup and stir gently until the color is uniform. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil.
  5. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the egg and simmer for about 3 minutes until the white is set and the yolk is runny.
  6. Top the kimchi tofu stew with chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, and sliced peppers.
  7. Serve while hot alongside steamed rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 370kcal

Notes

1. If you don’t have chicken, beef, or vegetable stock at hand, you can use rice water to substitute stock or broth. The easiest way to get rice water is soaking the rice:
  • Take a cup of uncooked white rice, rinse thoroughly.
  • Add rice to a bowl with 3 cups of cold water.
  • Leave to soak for 30 minutes
  • Strain the rice water into a clean bowl.
You can use the rice water to make the kimchi tofu soup, and cook the rice to enjoy with the soup.
2. If soybean paste is not available, you can try to substitute it with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (for the fermented soybean flavor) and some salt to your taste. But your kimchi tofu soup won’t be as tasty as restaurant ones without soybean paste.