Oxtail Korean Tofu Soup (Oxtail Soondubu Jjijae)

Author: Monica Ming

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb of oxtail beef bones

• 1 onion

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 2 tbsp of oil

• 2 cup of cubed daikon

• 1 piece of kelp

• 1 shiitake mushroom

• 15 anchovies (cleaned, rinsed, bone and head removed)

• 1 lb Thinly sliced beef, cut into square strips

• 3 tbsp of gochujang

• 3 tbsp of beef bouillon

• 1 tbsp of brown sugar

• Silken tofu or soft tofu (four 8 oz containers)

• Eggs (one per person)

• 1 stalk of scallions

• 8 quarts of water

• Korean clay bowl or 8 quart pot

• Five spice (1 stick of cinnamon, 1 tsp of prickly ash, 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 star anise, 1 tbsp of fresh ginger)

Instructions:

1. Heat wok and toss in sliced onions and minced garlic, then oil. Sauteed onions and garlic. Toss in beef bones. Quickly stir fry bones to get smoky aroma.

2. Toss the beef bones, daikon, kelp, shiitake mushrooms, five spice (place spices, kelp, mushrooms, anchovies in seasoning packet), and water into Instapot or Korean large clay pot and select soup broth option if using Instapot. Let simmer for 1 hour.

3. Add gochujang, beef bouillon, and sugar into pot. Stir in carefully until mixture is homogeneous.

4. Cut up tofu into cubes. Add broth. Top with raw egg and let egg cook in hot broth. Garnish with scallions. Serve hot and with Korean red pepper powder.

Note: Korean recipes usually do not call for five spice or shiitake mushrooms, but we prefer to add five spice and shiitake mushrooms in all our soup recipes. No, we do not have Korean ancestry, but we love Korean food. So this is just our interpretation of the Korean Tofu soup.