• In a small bowl, combine dried shiitake mushroom with 1 cup of warm water. Let it soak until fully rehydrated (10-20 min.).
  
• Cut the cabbage in half. For ssam, I recommend using thinner leaves (upper half) because they will be easier to fold. You can use lower half of cabbage for other dishes.
  
• For chard, beetroot greens, or squash leaves. From the backside of the leaf, break off the tip of the stem and pull the fibers off along the stem.
  
• In a pot, add enough water to fill ⅔ of the pot. Bring to a boil and blanch the cabbage(or squash leaves). Depending on the cabbage, it should take around 2-3 minutes until it's tender but still has crisp bite. To check the doneness, cool it a little and push it with fingers. Shock in cold water.
  
• For chard, beetroot leaves, hold the leaves from the tip of the leaf and hold the leaf so that only stems are submerged in boiling water. Let it blanch for around 30 seconds. Then push in the whole leaves into the boiling water and blanch for another 30 seconds. Shock in cold water.
  
• Drain and assemble them on a plate.
  

For gang-doenjang (thickened soybean paste stew)

• Squeeze out excess water out of shiitake and chop it. Save the soaking water for stew. Cut all the other vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
  
• Heat a pot over medium heat and add vegetable oil. Add onion and shiitake and stir-fry until onion is translucent.
  
• Add doenjang (Korean soybean paste) and mix until well incorporated. Stir-fry for around 1 minute. This will give extra nuttiness to the stew.
  
• Add water from soaking the mushroom and bring to a boil. Add the rest of the vegetables.
  
• Add tofu and boil until it's thick (when it's almost out of liquid).
  
• Finish with gochugaru (Korean red chili powder) and turn off the heat.
  
• Serve with freshly made rice and leafy greens.

  Make a wrap: put a leaf of vegetable, then add one spoonful of rice and stew. Fold it and enjoy!