Clear Tofu and Mushroom Hot Pot

Ingredients

• 1 Tofu (1 block; cut into thick rectangular pieces)
• 2 줌 Oyster mushrooms (Tear into bite-sized strands)
• 0.5 개 Korean zucchini (Cut into half-moon slices)
• 0.25 개 Onion (Thickly julienned)
• 0.5 대 Green onion (Slice diagonally; add at the end)
• 1 Cheongyang chili pepper (Optional; slice diagonally and add at the end)
• 800 ml Water (Use to make a clear broth)
• 800 ml Stock coins (Use 1–2 stock coins; or use a dried anchovy and kelp stock pouch)
• 1 tbsp Soup soy sauce (For seasoning the broth)
• 1 tbsp Tuna fish sauce (Can be substituted with anchovy fish sauce)
• 0.5 tbsp Minced garlic (For basic seasoning)
• Salt (A little, as needed to adjust the seasoning)
• Black pepper (A little; sprinkle on at the end)

Steps

1. 1

   Cut the tofu into thick rectangular pieces.

2. 2

   Cut the Korean zucchini into half-moon slices and thickly julienne the onion.

3. 3

   Tear the oyster mushrooms into bite-sized strands.

4. 4

   Slice the green onion and Cheongyang chili pepper diagonally.

5. 5

   Arrange the tofu neatly in the center of a hot pot.

6. 6

   Arrange the oyster mushrooms, Korean zucchini, and onion attractively around the tofu.

7. 7

   Dissolve the stock coins in 800 ml water, or prepare a clear broth by steeping a dried anchovy and kelp stock pouch.

8. 8

   Pour 800 ml of the clear broth into the pot, enough to partially cover the ingredients.

9. 9

   Season with 1 tbsp soup soy sauce, 1 tbsp tuna fish sauce, and 1/2 tbsp minced garlic.

10. 10

    Turn on the heat and simmer until the broth comes to a gentle boil.

11. 11

    Once the broth boils, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the Korean zucchini becomes translucent and tender.

12. 12

    Finally, add the sliced green onion and Cheongyang chili pepper.

13. 13

    Taste and adjust with salt if needed, then finish with a sprinkling of black pepper.

Notes

For an even more refreshing broth, you can add 2–3 napa cabbage leaves or 1/3 spoon of salted shrimp instead of soup soy sauce. Frozen dumplings or thinly sliced beef for shabu-shabu can also be added and simmered together. The original recipe does not specify the exact weight of the stock coins, so 1 piece is listed and the note preserves the range of 1–2 pieces.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• Korean
• East Asian
• one-pot
• soup
• hot pot
• vegetarian
• gluten-free