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Dubu Jorim - Braised Tofu and Ground Meat

Name: Dubu Jorim - Braised Tofu and Ground Meat
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 dried anchovies, break into small pieces (Note 1); 2 tubes of soft tofu (~ 450 gram in total), 1-inch slices; 1 1/2 cup water; 4 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced; 250 gram ground pork/beef/chicken; 2 clove garlic, grated; 1 inch ginger, grated; 4 scallions, white part only, thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoon soy sauce; 2 tablespoon sake; 1 tablespoon mirin; 1 tablespoon sugar; 2 teaspoon gochujang; 2 teaspoon gochugaru; 1 clove garlic, grated; 2 tablespoon katakuriko/cornstarch + 2 tablespoon water

Last updated: Nov 25, 2024 — Published: Jan 12, 2017 — By: Anita — 6 comments

Nothing can beat this quick Korean dish of braised tofu and ground meat when the temperature drops. It makes a perfect meal with steamed rice, is super easy to prepare, and will perk you up at once.

Dubu Jorim - Braised Tofu and Ground Meat.

As the temperature drops, I find myself craving for a good spicy braising dish, and Dubu Jorim fits the bill perfectly. This braised tofu and ground meat dish is easy to prepare and quick to cook, and it goes perfectly with a bowl of steamed rice.

I love using soft tofu that comes in plastic tubes when I make this dish but feel free to use rectangular-shaped soft tofu. Even medium or firm tofu is great with this dish, though my family is definitely partial to soft tofu when it comes to this dish.

Ingredients for Dubu Jorim

To make it simpler to prepare, we’ll divide the ingredients into four categories:

1. Ground meat mixture

ground pork/beef/chicken
garlic
ginger
white part of scallions
sesame oil

2. Sauce mixture

3. General

anchovy stock granules/dried anchovies
water
soft tofu
green part of scallions

4. Sauce thickener (optional)

katakuriko/cornstarch
water

Combine ground pork, garlic, ginger, white part of scallions, and sesame oil to make the ground meat mixture. Combine gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar to make the sauce mixture.

Ingredients highlight and substitution

1. Gochujang

Gochujang is a chili paste widely used in Korean cuisine. The chili paste is usually sold in a red plastic tub.

There is no suitable substitution for gochujang, so if you cannot find it in your local supermarket, please try buying it online from Amazon or other stores.

2. Gochugaru

Gochugaru is Korean chili powder, either coarse or fine. You can use either variety or even a mix of the two.

You can replace it with any chili powder when gochugaru is unavailable.

3. Dried anchovy/anchovy stock granules

Many Korean dishes utilize anchovy stock. You can make anchovy stock using dried anchovies or anchovy stock granules. Although it won’t be a perfect match, you can use Japanese dashi stock granules in a pinch.

We will use 3 Korean dried anchovies with 1 1/2 cups of water. To use anchovy stock granules instead of dried anchovies, follow the packaging instructions and use the appropriate amount to get 1 1/2 cups of anchovy stock.

(1) Sauté ground meat mixture. (2) Add water, anchovy stock granules, and tofu. (3) Add sauce mixture and simmer. (4) Add green part of the scallions and optionally thicken the sauce with katakuriko/cornstarch slurry.

How to cook Dubu Jorim

1. Ground meat mixture

Combine ground pork, grated garlic, grated ginger, the white part of scallions (thinly sliced), and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.

2. Sauce mixture

Stir gochujang, gochugaru, grated garlic, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar in a bowl and set aside.

3. Sauté ground meat

Sauté ground meat mixture in a skillet or a deep frying pan over medium-high heat until no longer pink.

4. Add tofu and anchovy stock

Add dried sardines and stir, then add tofu and water and cook until boiling. Alternatively, mix anchovy stock granules and water in a bowl and pour it into the skillet/pan, then add tofu and cook until boiling.

5. Add sauce

Add sauce mixture into the skillet/pan and stir gently to mix. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

6. Thicken the sauce (optional step)

If you prefer a thick sauce, increase the heat, add katakuriko/cornstarch slurry, and stir for 1 minute or until the sauce is thick.

7. Garnish and serve

Turn off the heat. Garnish with the green part of the scallions and mix gently. Transfer the dish to a serving bowl and serve it immediately with steamed rice.