Meatless Kimchi N Tofu Stew - My Vegetable Language

Another 8 days of meatless meals passed by in a blink of an eye. I didn't even find it cumbersome planning the dishes and the dinner table was always full of surprises. I have the vegetables to thank for because none of us knew that they can be cooked in so many ways. ;)

It has been a happier experience dealing with vegetables than meat, mainly because the latter used to be running around but ended up as carcass on my chopping board. Anyway, I gained new insights that in order for my vegetables to taste good, I need to take extra care when handling them. This includes thinking about them and talking to them (need not really talk out loud). Though I know that this sounds odd, I still want to share and use Mr Potato as an example. It goes likes this:

1. Keep Mr Potato in his most comfortable corner prior to cooking
2. Greet him before use
3. Let him know that he's in for one of the best meals in life
4. Bring him to wash and scrub off all the dirt off him with fingers
5. Peel off his clothes carefully with knife without scraping off too much of flesh
6. Bid him farewell and multiply him into smaller but identical pieces with knife
7. Send him into a hot and boiling jacuzzi bath together with his favourite friends
8. A beautiful and happy dish is served!

Enough said of all the above. My 12th meatless dinner was Kimchi and Tofu Stew. I may not be Korean but I love most types of stews regardless their place of origins. The spicy and sourish taste of kimchi tantalizes my tastebuds greatly, whetting appetite up to the max. Usually meat is added into this dish and I was sceptical about bringing out the usual rich flavour. But when the dish was halfway into simmering, I knew that my doubts were unfounded. It took a full 2.5 hours to prepare and cook this meal but every effort was worth it. The idea of meatless seemed texture-less so I used omelette instead of half-cooked egg. It turned out to be really fun to eat!

My Meatless Kimchi N Tofu Stew (Before last 5 minutes of cooking)

Yay! Finally Served!

My Recipe for Stew Base (excluding tofu, mushrooms, omelette and chives)

The Ingredients (serves 2 - 3)

1 large Potato (peeled, cut into chunks)

1 large Carrot (peeled, cut into chunks)

1 White / Yellow Onion (peeled, cut into thin slices)

2 medium Tomatoes (cut into small cubes)

4 cloves Garlic (flattened)

200 gm Kimchi (cut into big pieces)

2 big Red Chillies (minced)

1 tbsp Red Pepper Paste

1 tbsp Healthy Cooking Oil

1 tsp Sugar

Steps

1. Heat in Oil in Crockpot using medium heat

2. Add in Garlic, Red Chillies and Onions, stir fry till fragrant (you may sneeze)

3. Add in Tomatoes, stir fry till they soften and mash slightly with spatula

4. Add in Carrots, Kimchi, 500ml of water, and Red Pepper Paste 

5. Stir till Red Pepper Paste melts, cover pot and boil for 10mins

6. Add in Potatoes, cover pot, turn heat to low and simmer for one hour (stir every 15min)

7. After one hour, add your choice of main ingredients into the crockpot