Spicy Vegetarian Korean Tofu Stew

I love going to this Korean restaurant in Newark because I love their their Spicy Korean Tofu Stew. It's so yummy, but the problem is that it is not vegetarian because they use beef broth. There are probably places where they use vegetable broth but most of the time, it is beef or pork or chicken broth. (If anyone knows of any Korean tofu place that uses vegetable broth, please let me know.) So, what's the solution? It's to make my own Spicy Vegetarian Tofu Stew. And so I found this recipe online and I converted it so it's vegetarian. OK, so just a little warning. I'm not Korean, so I cannot say if the result is authentic or not, probably not but, it's pretty good!

Spicy Vegetarian Korean Tofu Stew
3-4 servings
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Korean Red Pepper Powder (You can find this in an Asian grocery store under the spice section)
4 cups vegetable broth (or 2 cans of Swanson's vegetarian vegetable broth)
1 cup cabbage (cut into bite size pieces)
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 cups soft tofu
3-4 scallion (chopped)
1 tbsp sesame oil
5-6 fresh shiitake mushroom
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 package of enoki mushroom
(optional) 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch
salt to your taste

1) Heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper powder until garlic starts to turn brown.
2) Add the vegetable stock, cabbage, frozen peas & carrots, shiitake mushrooms & soy sauce. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
3) Lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 min. Add the enoki mushrooms and tofu. Bring it to a boil and it simmer for 5 more min.
4) At this point, u can adjust the seasoning with salt and red pepper. (Be careful, the red pepper is really spicy, add this a little at a time.)
5) Dissolve the cornstarch in some water and add to stew. This optional, only add if u like your soup to be thicker.
6) Add the sesame oil and green scallion.

Vegetarian West Lake Soup

The West Lake Soup is one of my all time favorite soup. I've adapted it to my new diet, substituting tofu & mushroom for beef. mmmm.....yummy!

Vegetarian West Lake Soup
(about 4 to 6 servings)
- 2 cups of homemade vegetable broth (or 1 can of swanson's vegetable broth)
- 2 cups of water
- a package of soft tofu (12 oz, cut into small cubes)
- 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots
- 1/2 a cup of straw mushrooms
- 1 egg white (optional)
- a stalk of green onion (chopped)
- a bunch of cilantro (chopped)

1) In a small to medium pot, add 2 cups of vegetable broth, 2 cups of water, and 1 cup of frozen peas and carrot. Bring it to a boil.
2) Add the straw mushroom and tofu.
3) When it starts boiling again, pour in the egg white. (You need to pour and stir the soup at the same times so that the egg white won't clump together. For a thicker consistency, you can dissolve a teaspoon of cornstarch in a little bit of water and pour the mixture into the soup.)
4) Add the green onion and cilantro.
5) Add pepper and salt to taste.

Vegetarian Ma-Po Tofu

Ma-Po Tofu
a package of 12 ounce soft tofu (cut into cubes)
a package of Ma-Po sauce
6-8 fresh shiitake mushrooms (cut into thin slices)
chopped green onion
minced garlic (about 1 teaspoons)

1) Add some oil onto a wok.
2) When hot enough, add the garlic, followed by the mushrooms.
3) Add the package of Ma-Po sauce.
4) When the sauce starts boiling, add the tofu cubes.
5) It's done when the sauce starts boiling again.
6) Garnish with green onion.