Tofu, mushroom and perilla seed porridge

Perilla is a key food in Korean cuisine. We use its oil and a powder made from the seeds in this creamy, soupy porridge. The powder thickens the dish and has a strong, nutty flavour. Texture is a crucial component of this dish, and the mushrooms add their particular bite and mouthfeel too.

Tofu, mushroom and perilla seed porridge. Credit: Armelle Habib / Hardie Grant Books

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 80 g (2¾ oz) medium-firm tofu (recipe here)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp perilla oil (available at Asian grocers)
• 15 g (½ oz) enoki mushrooms
• 15 g (½ oz) king oyster mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) vegetable stock (see below)
• 1 tbsp traditional Korean soup soy sauce (see Note)
• 40 g (1½ oz/½ cup) perilla seed powder (available at Asian grocers)
• 1 spring onion (scallion), trimmed and sliced diagonally into 2 cm (¾ in) lengths

Vegetable stock

• 5cm × 5 cm (2 in × 2 in) piece of dried kelp
• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms

Standing time: 10 minutes.

Instructions

1. Remove excess water from the tofu and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the tofu until golden brown on all sides.
3. To prepare the enoki mushrooms, trim the bottom 5 cm (2 in) from each and discard. Separate the mushroom strands into bite-sized pieces, then chop crossways into two or three pieces.
4. In the meantime, make the vegetable stock. Combine the kelp and shiitake mushrooms with 500 ml (17 fl oz / 2 cups) water in a saucepan and boil over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Strain the stock into a clean container, discarding the kelp. Using your hands, squeeze as much liquid out of the shiitake mushrooms as possible, then slice.
5. Heat the perilla oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the enoki, king oyster and shiitake mushrooms over a medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce and continue to stir-fry.
6. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, then add the perilla seed powder and tofu and boil for 5 minutes to heat through. Season to taste with salt.
7. Add the spring onion and boil for another 10 seconds, then remove from the heat, scoop into bowls and serve.

Note

Chosun ganjang roughly translates into soup soy sauce and is a fundamental condiment in various Korean soup dishes. What sets it apart is its distinctive fishy, umami-rich flavour, coupled with its light colour. You can find chosun ganjang at Koeran and Asian grocers.

This is an edited extract from Chae: Korean Slow Food for a Better Life by Jung Eun Chae (Hardie Grant Books, HB$60). Photography by Armelle Habib.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.