Kong Beeji Jjigae (Soybean stew w/ pork & kimchee)

****This dish takes a lot of TLC, prep time & dedication, but is worth it if you love beeji jjigae.

****You will need a blender to make this dish.

****Sheen (old) kimchee works well in this soup.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups raw, dry SOYBEAN

Gook-Ganjang (soup base) to taste

Gochoo-Garoo (red pepper flakes) to taste

1-2 cups cubed PORK tenderloin (depending if you like lots of meat or less)

2 cups chopped KIMCHEE (& kimchee gookmool if available)

3-4 tbsp SESAME OIL

2 tbsp minced GARLIC

1 cup cubed firm TOFU

handful chopped GREEN ONION (pah)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Rinse the dry soybeans to clean, then soak them in water for 6 hours or overnight. The soybeans will double in size so soak in plenty of water.

2. After soaking, put the soaked soybeans in a pot with water and bring to boil. (BEWARE! This pot of boiling soybeans tends to foam up and overflow so keep your eye on it! You can take discard foam as necessary. But once the pot is boiling, bring heat down to a low simmer and simmer for 30 mintues with TOP OFF... it still tends to foam/overflow. )

3. After cooking the soybeans for 30 minutes... cool it down a bit before blending.

4. To blend, do half of the beans first.... using the same water it had boiled in... the "kong kupjjeell" (bean peels) and all.... adjust the amount of water that goes into the blender with the beans so the mixture is NOT TOO WATERY ....& NOT TOO THICK. You can add water as you blend. The constistency should be NOT QUITE PUREED-- fluid yet w/ a distinctly grainy texture... a bit more grainy and a bit more fluid than hummace. (See picture for texture)

5. Once you have your soybeans all ground up and in a thick/grainy, yet fluid mixture... bring a new and roomy pot of water to a boil.... about 2 cups of water.

6. slowly, add your ground soybean mixture to the boiling water while stirring. This will be your base soup for beeji jjigae, so adjust the thickness by adding more water or more soybean mixture.

7. While your ground soybean soup is simmering, in a separate large pan... saute chopped kimchee, cubed pork, sesame oil, and garlic until pork is thoroughly cooked and slightly browned.

8. Add the sauteed ingredients to your pot of ground-soybean soup... bring to a simmer. Stir.... and add more water if too thick. If you have kimchee gookmool, add this into the soup instead!!!

9. Add cubed tofu.

10. Add gook ganjang to finish flavoring. Use sparingly so it doesn't get too salty. Taste as you mix it in.

11. Cook for a few minutes, let all the ingredients unite in the heat. At the very end, throw in the chopped green onion and a dash of Gochoo-Garoo... SERVE.