Hooni Kim’s Recipe for Pork and Tofu Stir-Fry With Scallions

Hooni Kim’s Recipe for Pork and Tofu Stir-Fry With Scallions

At Danji in Manhattan, chef Hooni Kim serves this rich and warming stir-fry of pork and silken tofu with a topping of thinly sliced scallions. The recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes and draws its depth of flavor from Korean miso and red pepper paste

By Kitty Greenwald in the Wall Street Journal

“MAPO TOFU is such a popular dish in New York right now,” said Hooni Kim. Always eager to please his guests—but also to surprise them—the chef serves a Korean take on the Chinese pork-and-tofu stir-fry at his restaurant Danji in Manhattan. “It’s a Szechuan dish originally,” he explained, “but we use Korean miso paste instead of the Sichuan peppers, which makes it less spicy and more rich and warming.”

The Chef: Hooni Kim

His restaurants: Danji and Hanjan, both in New York City

What He’s Known For: Deceptively simple, masterfully executed Korean cooking, both traditional and modern

In Mr. Kim’s adaptation of the dish du jour—his second Slow Food Fast contribution—ground pork and silken tofu simmer in chicken broth with garlic, ginger and onions. “Because tofu doesn’t have a lot of flavor, you need to cook it with something strong,” Mr. Kim said. Salty, sweet, creamy and just spicy enough, the result is layered and nuanced, despite the fact that it takes less than 30 minutes to put together.

“To cook Korean food,” said Mr. Kim, “you need to know about its ingredients.” Two Korean pantry staples in particular make this dish as satisfying as it is. The red pepper paste called gochujang brings far more than chili heat; the fermentation process the condiment undergoes yields extraordinary complexity and depth. And while a Japanese white miso will work very well here, chunky, rustic Korean doenjang will make for a more intense savory flavor. Try them in this dish, then consider what else might benefit from the oomph they impart. Even if they’re unfamiliar to you now, they may well become staples in your pantry, too, soon enough. “A few years ago you couldn’t find this stuff here,” said Mr. Kim. “Now that’s changing.”

Pork and Tofu Stir-Fry With Scallions

Total Time: 25 minutes Serves: 6

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ tablespoons minced garlic
• 1½ teaspoons minced ginger
• 2 medium onions, finely diced
• ¼ cup doenjang (Korean miso) or Japanese white miso
• 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 pounds silken tofu, broken into large pieces
• 1 bunch scallions, white and light green portions only, thinly sliced
• Cooked white rice, for serving

1. Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add pork and season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir-fry until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

2. Stir in garlic, ginger and onions. Stir-fry until pork colors, about 4 minutes more.

3. Stir in doenjang, gochujang and chicken stock. Simmer until meat cooks through and stock thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in tofu and simmer until it absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients, about 7 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed.

4. Garnish with scallions and serve over cooked white rice.