Korean Tofu Stew with Clams | Recipe

Jiigae is a spicy Korean stew that’s served in an earthenware pot, so that it still bubbles wonderfully on the table.

Basically you can make it with anything: kimchi, pork belly, vegetables, seafood and of course tofu. I’m always looking for an excuse to eat clams, so I added those here. And a few prawns (shrimp) and dried anchovies. Everything is allowed. Mussels would be nice too, I think.

For this dish I always use silken tofu, which is sometimes sold as a cylinder (similar to egg tofu). This stew is also delicious with homemade tofu if you have any leftovers.

Ingredients

• 400g clams or cockles
• 6 dried anchovies (see tip)
• 15g kombu
• neutral oil, for frying
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons gochugaru
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Korean or light soy sauce
• 500g silken tofu, broken into large chunks
• 5 prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 100g enoki mushrooms
• 1 egg
• 1 spring onion finely chopped

Serves 4
Prep time: 35 minutes
Waiting time: 1 hour

Method

Put a few tablespoons of salt in a bowl of cold water and stir until the salt dissolves. Put the clams or cockles in the salt water and leave for 20 minutes to 1 hour. All the sand should settle to the bottom of the bowl. Remove the shells from the water and rinse in a sieve.

Meanwhile, place the anchovies and kombu in a saucepan with 750ml (3 cups) of water and bring to the boil. Put the lid on the pan, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Strain the stock into a bowl and set aside.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a thick-bottomed earthenware pot or frying pan over medium–low heat and fry the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the gochugaru and sesame oil and fry for 30 seconds. Add the strained stock and soy sauce, and bring to the boil. Taste and season with salt.

Reduce the heat to medium–low and add the tofu, prawns and clams to the pot with the stock and place the enoki on top. Cover the pot and simmer for 3 minutes, until the shells have opened.

Break the egg into the centre, and cook for a further 1 minute, until the egg whites have set. Sprinkle the spring onion over the stew and serve.

Make it vegetarian: leave out the anchovies, clams and prawns. Add extra mushrooms or some kimchi, if desired.

Anchovy tip: you can buy different types of dried anchovies; pick nice large ones to make stock with. Small anchovies will also work, just use a little more.

Pan tip: if you have an earthenware pot (clay pot or donabe-style pot), use that. They retain the heat well when you put them on the table. If not, use a frying pan or, if necessary, a wok.