KOREAN TOFU DISH

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Tofu is an ordinary food ingredient used in many dishes. But a tofu dish that first appeared in a Joseon-period document from some 500 years ago is grabbing attention as it is recreated by a renowned chef of temple cuisine. Let's take a look at how it's made and how good it tastes.

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​Jingwansa Buddhist temple located at the foot of Bukhansan Mountain. The temple's chief monk has been grinding soybeans to make tofu for over 50 years. She uses the traditional tofu-making
method of boiling finely ground soybean milk in a big cast iron pot and straining the liquid through hemp cloth. She then steams the tofu again before mashing it with her hands. Salt, pepper, and sesame oil are the only seasonings that go into it.

[Soundbite] MONK GYEHO(CHIEF MONK AT JINGWANSA TEMPLE) : "The best seasoning is the heart. So a chef must have a good heart."

Garnishing the tofu with finely sliced manna lichen mushroom, pine nuts and watercress completes the traditional steamed tofu dish called the 'pojeung.'

[Soundbite] "I thought it would taste really bland, but it actually has rich flavors."

Court official Sin Suk-ju wrote in 1463, during King Sejo's reign, that he went to Jingwansa Temple and ate pojeung. Since then, the temple had made tofu for the royal family for nearly 500 years.

[Soundbite] PROF. SHIM SEUNG-KOO(KOREA NATIONAL SPORT UNIV.) : "This documents how tofu was introduced to Korea in the late 14th century and established as a temple food and later spread to the royal court and ordinary households."

From tofu stewed in soy sauce to five-colored tofu stew and clear tofu soup... these are all tofu dishes flavored with minimal seasoning.

[Soundbite] MONK GYEHO(CHIEF MONK AT JINGWANSA TEMPLE) : "The food I eat shapes my body and character. So the food must be mild and simple."

Mild yet rich in flavor, tofu may be a common food ingredient, but it contains several centuries of heritage.