Tofu "Bulgogi" and Kimchi Fried Rice {vegetarian}

This is one of those posts where I confess that I have no fascinating story to share with you that relates to the dish I am about to describe. Escapades involving rice, Korean food, tofu, and runny fried eggs neither lurk in my past nor are buried deep in my unconscious.

It's just a good dish, and that is all.

Bulgogi is actually a Korean marinated beef dish; here, I made it with tofu. Nothing to do with a tedious New Year's resolution, mind you: As well as a myriad of proteins from land and sea, I actually happen to enjoy tofu now and then, as long as it's done right. And this is.

The key: a good marinade and lots of punchy flavor.  I also froze and defrosted the tofu before I used it; this makes it swell up and get more porous and take on flavor better.

It's not science, and I didn't really measure ... so here's what to do. More or less. Mix together 5 or 6 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, some sugar, honey, chopped green onion, minced garlic, ginger powder, black pepper, sesame oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar and hot Korean pepper powder until you have a perfect (for your palate) blend of sweet and hot. Cut up the tofu and marinate for at least one hour.

Meanwhile, saute day old rice in sesame oil and gochuchang (Korean hot pepper paste) and stir in a healthy amount of kimchi. Keep warm. In another skillet, saute the tofu, along with the marinade, until piping hot and fold into the rice. Then - the best part - top each serving with a runny fried egg.

There's no story to it, but it's perfection. There. I said it: perfection. Anything with a runny egg is, after all. And when you're feeling carnivorous, give it a go with some thinly sliced beef instead of the tofu. That makes for a great next-day breakfast of steak and eggs.

Sometimes delicious things are their own story.