foodha for thought – menuism blog

A slight chill is still in the air, which means it’s still soup weather and if you’re someone like me who loves strong, bold flavors than sometimes the only kind of soup that will do is Korean Soon Tofu Soup. If you’ve never had Soon Tofu Soup before, let me give you a little more information.

What is Tofu?

Before we can even delve into Korean Soon Tofu Soup, first, a quick introduction for tofu itself. Tofu (the Japanese “Romaji” spelling), also called doufu (the Chinese “Pinyin” spelling often used in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (the literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin, made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. The making of tofu from soy milk is similar to the technique of making cheese from milk. Wheat gluten, or seitan, in its steamed and fried forms, is often mistakenly called “tofu” in Asian or vegetarian dishes.

There are basically three types of tofu: soft/silken tofu, Asian firm tofu and Western firm/dried tofu. For Korean Soon Tofu Soups, the tofu of choice is the soft/silken tofu.

What is Soft/Silken Tofu?

This undrained tofu contains the highest moisture content of all fresh tofus. Its texture can be described as similar to that of very fine custard. In Korea and Japan, traditional soft tofu is made with seawater which has an even higher moisture content and is often eaten as a dessert, but sometimes with salty pickles or hot sauce added instead. Because it is nearly impossible to pick up this type of tofu with chopsticks, it is generally eaten with a spoon.

What is Korean Soon Tofu Soup?

In Korea, tofu is often served not as a substitute for meat, but alongside it, with a small amount of meat flavoring enriching the silken tofu, which adds its incomparable body and mouth feel.

The Korean specialty soon dubu (tofu) chigae (soup or stew) combines soft tofu, spicy broth and bits of meat or seafood or kimchi. Like all Korean soups and stews, it is served hot enough to boil an egg, which is exactly what you do; at “soon houses” all over the world.

Now that you’ve learned more about Korean Soon Tofu Soup, here’s a list of some Tofu Houses you can check out for yourself.

Beverly Soon Tofu
2717 W Olympic Blvd Ste 108
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 380-1113

My Tofu House
4627 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA
(415) 750-1818

Cho Dang Tofu House
5907 Buford Hwy Ne
Doraville, GA
(770) 220-0667

Tofu Village
9889 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, TX
(713) 777-9889

So Gong Dong Tofu House
3307 W Bryn Mawr Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 539-8377