Trader Joe's Kimchi & Tofu Soup

Korean food is having a moment at Trader Joe's. I am simultaneously pleased and highly highly skeptical, only because I love Korean food and I know how disappointing it is for a modern grocery chain to butcher your culture's food (case in point). So I've tempered my expectations and set the standard low - I just hope it isn't as bad as the beef pho (Nope did not bother spending money on it or trying it - enough of the internet has said it was very bad so it is not worth my time or energy). 

There wasn't that much fanfare around this product - I just happened to see it nestled right next to the beef pho. Without looking at the product title, I would have thought it was some sort of leftover stew, not necessarily kimchi soondubu or soft tofu soup. But anyway, it's a single serving in the frozen aisle and vegan. Oh boy. 

The ingredient list does not inspire much hope y'all. But okay, kimchi is high up there on the list. The sodium count is crazy high, which is standard for packaged foods. I want to know why they have put black rice INTO the soup and whose idea it was to do so. Every context where I've ever had tofu stew, the rice is served on the side and the consumer puts the rice into the soup. This isn't chicken and rice soup or vegetable and rice soup where you put the rice into the soup. 

 I heated this on the stove per package instructions. 

1) I am not sure if my grievances are because a) this is a poor interpretation of a beloved Korean dish or because b) it is a vegan interpretation of a beloved Korean dish or c) a combination of both. Or d) it's a *Trader Joe's interpretation* of a vegan version of a beloved Korean dish - did the tasting panel include anyone Korean or not but preferably Korean who understands the taste of soondubu?? 

2) I know everyone who has had Korean food is expecting this product to be like soondubu - but they never claimed that it's a soft tofu stew. They called it "kimchi and tofu soup," which leaves some room for interpretation. Or just sadness. Because look at it - it looks NOTHING like soondubu. This looks like something I make every once in a while where I throw all my refrigerator leftovers into a pot, heat it up, and call it "soup."

3) The tofu is firm - not my tofu of choice for tofu soup and it certainly is not going to convert anyone who has never had tofu to the wonders of soondubu. The only thing worse than firm tofu is firm tofu that has been reheated from frozen. It takes on a weird spongy texture that's like chewy and soft but not particularly pleasant. By the way, I don't hate firm tofu. I just think there's a time and a place where it can be enjoyed when it is prepared properly and with respect.

4) The kimchi that was used for this is probably a not good kimchi - a kimchi that probably was not sour/fermented enough to give ample flavor so they've compensated for the lack of funk by adding rice vinegar. No no no no no. The resulting flavor is sour but not like a funky kimchi sour that serves as the base for a rich soup. The soup itself is thin. Since it's vegan, they don't have any source of fat so they've compensated by using an inappropriate amount of mushroom. I happen to like mushroom, but this is not a mushroom soup. It sticks out too much. I feel like they use shiitake for the "token Asian flavor" when they could have used it in combination with other mushrooms like enokis or king oyster mushrooms for more complexity and balanced umami. But fine. 

5) It's a soup rather than a stew because it's so thin. The soup flavor is spicy and way too salty, which is typical of packaged food. The types of ingredients and ratios of ingredients have not produced the flavor that we appreciate from a soondubu; I think they've made up for that with just salt. 

5b) My disclaimer is that I've never had vegan kimchi soondubu. But I cross referenced a recipe by The Korean Vegan to investigate whether or not the ingredient list is on track. She roasts the gochucaru (Korean red pepper flakes) to get a smokiness and also does a few other things to boost the flavor. That makes sense to me - the use of mirin and rice vinegar does not. Also she puts in a number of other vegetables, including potatoes, to bulk up the soup. They have not done that here. 

6) Black rice is commonly consumed in Korean households. It does not make any sense to me to put it into the soup. It's like putting Italian pasta atop a pizza to make it more Italian. I mean...sure we'll eat it but it doesn't add anything to the product. From a marketing perspective, you could have just encouraged people to buy the frozen brown rice or white rice separately (which increases sales!). I have no problem with Korean black rice. Its inclusion does not signal to me that this product is Korean, nor does it do anything besides soak up the sodium. They've done with it what I do with my leftover rice that is too old and unusable for fried rice - you throw it into a pot of soup and call it a day. 

7) It turns out making kimchi tofu soup is really easy so long as you have kimchi and soft tofu. You don't even need a recipe but there's people like Maangchi and Korean Bapsang and many many others if you want one. You can even make a version in the Instant Pot. And if you don't want to make it or don't have access to a Korean grocery store or restaurant, there are so so many other delicious frozen and/or instant Asian foods. Even TJ's has a number of other Korean food options that are way better than this. 

8) $3.49 for a single serving. I did not finish the single serving. It did not spark joy. 

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Kimchi & Tofu Soup. I wonder what Maangchi would say...but it's a hard pass for me. 3 out of 10. Mantou Joe repurchase? Absolutely not.