Soondubu jjigae — the hot Korean stew made with soft tofu — is part of a shared culinary lexicon in Los Angeles thanks to Monica Lee, the South Korean immigrant who opened Beverly Soon Tofu. Ms. Lee wanted her own community to feel at home, to feel restored by the comforting dish in her dining room, which she decorated with simple, glossy live-edge furniture. At first, her menu focused on nothing else, inviting diners to build their own bowls, to their own tastes, picking out broths, proteins and heat levels. “I saw the opportunity.” Over the decades, her soondubu jjigae fueled weekly family dinners and special birthday parties, nursed hangovers and heartbreaks, nourished workers on their way home and new parents on a night out. By the time the restaurant closed in September, Ms. Lee hadn’t just achieved her goal, she had expanded the definition of comfort food across the city, for generations of Angelenos.

Source: New York Times December 28, 2020 23:26 UTC