Umma's Broccoli Dubu Muchim (Seasoned Broccoli with Tofu)

Recipe by: Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn
Adaptation and headnote by: Leslie Brenner

This recipe — great to pull together when you think the cupboard is bare — is adapted from Umma: A Korean Mother’s Kitchen Wisdom by Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn.

The key to the cupboard not actually being bare is keeping a package of broccoli florets in the freezer and a package of firm tofu in the fridge. Tofu keeps (unopened) for months, so that’s easy to manage. Certainly you could use fresh broccoli; just boil it in salted water until crisp-tender. I always have plenty of fish sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds on hand, as well.

The Ahns’ recipe notes that quickly blanching the tofu “tenderizes it and seasons it lightly.”

I cut back a bit on the fish sauce from the original recipe, as I found it a bit too salty.

Serves 4 as a banchan or 2 as a main course.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds

• 4 ounces (113 grams) firm tofu, in 1 block

• 8 ounce…