HAVE YOU EATEN? | RECIPE CURATED BY KATHRYN FUMIE

DUBU KIMCHI

Serves 2-4 | Cook time: 20-30 mins.

Dubu is the ultimate comfort food. I mean, bacon AND butter AND kimchi AND rice?

This dish was introduced to me when I worked at COOK ST. PAUL, a local diner on the east side of Saint Paul. Eddie Wu featured dubu kimchi on his Korean Night menu, along with other street foods he tried on his family trip to Korea. His wife, Eve, of Keku Cakes has made cakes for Mu in the past as well! COOK ST. PAUL is where I learned to make vegan kimchi. It has become a staple in my diet—a beautiful combination of napa cabbage, carrot, daikon radish, white onion, green onion, garlic, and ginger. In this particular dish, the slightly-spicy-slightly-sour, bubbly flavor of kimchi pairs so well with the rich, fatty bacon and butter. Along with just being delicious, kimchi is full of plant fiber, digestive aids, and good bacteria. And it keeps in the fridge for a long long time. A container of kimchi can be found at most local Asian grocery stores. I'm a huge fan of Dragon Star in Saint Paul and United Noodles in Minneapolis. Or you can support local kimchi makers by hitting up a co-op’s refrigerated section.

I'd like to give credit to my friend Amber Glawe (@amberjean) for being my videographer. And thanks to COOK ST. PAUL (@cookstp) for the recipe and Taelyn Lange (@tortuga_gordo) for the homemade vegan kimchi recipe. Find them (and me @katfukat) on Instagram!

— KATHRYN FUMIE

Kathryn is an actor and teaching artist based in the Twin Cities. Audiences saw her onstage for Theater Mu’s 2018 production of Leah Nanako Winkler’s Two Mile Hollow and during the TwentyPho Hour PlayFest.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 lbs or so of bacon*, cut to chunks (any bacon will do, smokey and thick is the best)

2 cups kimchi

3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

2 inches ginger, minced

1 package firm or extra firm tofu, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slabs

1 or 2 green onions, chopped for garnish

Cooked rice

*If you do not eat meat, use a flavorful bacon alternative such as smoked tempeh or frozen fake-bacon. Another alternative to ensure the dish’s savory flavor is to add a tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari or coconut liquid aminos. The bacon fat is equally important to replace. As an alternative add to the saute pan extra butter or a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil or 2 tablespoons of olive oil before the garlic and ginger.

INSTRUCTIONS

Smash garlic using the side of your knife and set aside for now. 

Rinse rice several times. You’ll notice after each rinse the water will get less and less cloudy.

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Saute bacon until fat renders (aka the fat seems to me “melting” off the bacon), 7 to 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Be patient during this step as you’ll use the rendered fat to cook the garlic and ginger in. 

Cook rice. If you are cooking the rice on the stove top, fill with water until about 1/2 inch of water floats above the rice. Cover with lid and cook on medium heat until it begins to boil. Then lower heat to a low temperature or a simmer until rice is fully cooked. (If you are using a rice cooker, we’re assuming you know how to use it. Either way...wash your rice!)

Add minced garlic and ginger to bacon. Saute until fragrant, 2-3 minutes, stir frequently.

Add kimchi and butter, heat until simmering, 3-5 minutes.

Nestle fresh tofu slices into the pan, return to a simmer.

To eat, scoop rice into a bowl and spoon dubu kimchi on top.

Garnish with green onions