From the Pantry: Instant soondubu, enfrijoladas, and more
Ideas for what to cook in the week ahead, inspired by my (actual, chaotic) home pantry
Welcome to another edition of From The Pantry, where I share a few ideas for what to cook in the week ahead, inspired by all the shit I’m always trying to use up from my very full, very chaotic home pantry. This series will always be free to all subscribers and non-subscribers (though hopefully you are a subscriber?). FYI these are not sponsored product placements, nor do I earn income from anything you purchase via links in this newsletter.)
Hello! Happy Oscars Day to all who celebrate. This newsletter is a slight departure from the usual From the Pantry content, as I am not at home and thus am not cooking out of my pantry. But I still have ideas for yummy things to cook this week, so read on.
Instant soondubu with lots of veggies
My friend Leanne and I are both obsessed with House Foods BCD Soon Tofu Soup Kits, which are $3 or $4 and available at H-Mart or other Korean or well-stocked Asian markets. They’re an instant version of Korean soondubu, a fiery spicy stew with lots of silken tofu, and they’re best treated as a starting point for a number of creative and delicious meals. The “kit” is just a package of tofu and a tiny sauce packet, which you combine with water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. But traditional soondubu houses (such as BCD) will offer different “flavors” of soondubu that feature seafood, meat, mushrooms, etc. in the stew (you can kinda see the effect in the photo on the package). I brought a kit with me upstate and doctored it up with a ton of sliced zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, and an egg poached right in the boiling soup, all topped with chopped scallions. With a bowl of rice alongside, this is the perfect solo dinner for a chilly night—and so fast, too.
Enfrijoladas
I can hardly believe it myself, but I FINALLY finished a big jar of dried pinto beans I’ve had in my pantry since…well, I’m pretty sure since before we moved into this apartment. So, years. The beans showed their age for sure (they took forever to cook even with an overnight soak) but were still extremely delicious in Mexican enfrijoladas, fried corn tortillas dipped in velvety puréed beans and topped with more bean sauce. We ate these for multiple meals this week, but my favorite iteration was breakfast enfrijoladas with a fried egg, pickled onions, queso fresco, cilantro, and sliced avocado. Could eat every day. While enfrijoladas are best made with pot beans (method here), you could certainly sauté some onion and garlic, add a can of rinsed black or pinto beans, and blend it all with vegetable broth if you’re not planning to cook dried beans.
Buttery Noodles with Melted Cabbage
She was this week’s recipe (for paid subscribers) and she is the moment. Half a head of cabbage, an onion, some pantry seasonings, your favorite noodles, and a fat pat of butter and you’ve got a deeply satisfying meal.
That’s all! See you all on Thursday for the usual dispatch. Have a great week.
–Chaey