Take your taste buds to Korea with sundubu jjigae, a delightfully spicy and rich soft tofu stew that will bring you comfort and warmth in every bowl! {Gluten-Free} My husband and I are big fans of Korean cuisine, and one of our favorite dishes is sundubu jjigae. It’s a Korean soft tofu stew that’s a bit spicy in the most delightful way. The tofu used is a soft uncurdled form that yields the silkiest texture, and the stew has a bold red color offset by the tofu, seafood, zucchini, and enoki mushrooms. And yes, it has kimchi in it too, and it’s topped with a raw egg for good measure.
Why this version
Traditionally, sundubu jjigae uses anchovy stock. It can be a bit challenging to find dried anchovies to make the stock. And since I don’t often use dried anchovies in my cooking routine, I decided to create the broth base from a combination of dried shiitake mushrooms and fish sauce. It was very simple to prepare and tasted just as great as the traditional anchovy broth. If you order sundubu jjigae in a restaurant, you usually have the option to choose your protein. Things like chicken, pork, beef, and seafood are available to you, but I used the most popular option – pork, with added seafood – to make the soup extra scrumptious. You can use any other proteins you desire, though – it’s a flexible recipe that you’re going to love.
Ingredients
What type of tofu to use
One of the most important things, though, is the tofu. To make the most authentic tasting sundubu jjigae, you need to use the uncurdled tofu, and not just any kind. It’s even softer than silken tofu. This tofu usually comes in tubes, but you will also find it in plastic boxes (just like regular tofu). It may say “soon-tofu” on the package. You will probably need to take a trip to the Korean market for the tofu. If you can’t find it, silken tofu will work, but the texture will be different.
Add an egg on top
I mentioned a raw egg on top too, didn’t I? Don’t be alarmed! You add a raw egg yolk right at the end of the recipe. The hot broth will lightly cook the egg. When you stir it into your stew, it will thicken up the broth and make the flavor irresistible. It’s so important to choose high quality eggs for this step because they’ll be just slightly cooked. That’s why I use Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs. They’re free-range, USDA Certified Organic (which means no GMOs or pesticides), and the hens are never given no antibiotics or hormones. You can truly taste the difference in these indulgent eggs with creamy and beautiful yolks. They’re good for you and the environment too, plus if you love eggs, the difference in taste is amazing when you go with organic eggs. I love eggs so much that I must reveal my guilty secret…I tend to add 2 eggs into my sundubu-jjigae – I stir one into the soup to thicken it up, then I add another on top just to enjoy it with the stew. Because it makes it so good and to me, it tastes better than at a restaurant 🙂
Gochugaru and spice level
If you cannot handle the spiciness, you can use paprika to replace the Gochugaru.
Prep work
You will need these ingredients to make sundubu jjigae. It might look like a lot, but trust me, the cooking is super easy!
Cooking process
To make sundubu jjigae: Add the egg once the soup is done, and break the egg when you’re ready to eat.
A word on cookware
This recipe is designed for one person (or two servings, if sharing) to be made in a clay pot for a wonderful meal that’s a bit luxurious and divine, just like they do in a Korean restaurant. But if you don’t have one or if you want to make more for the rest of the family, you can scale up the recipe and use a large Dutch oven instead. It’s really flexible and once you get the hang of this soup base, you can switch things up to fit your tastes.
Other delicious Korean recipes
If you want to recreate the authentic Korean meal at home, pair your Sundubu Jjigae with these recipes below.
Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon)Instant Pot Short Ribs (Galbi Jjim)Korean Fire Chicken (Cheese Buldak)Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodles)Korean Beef Bulgogi Bowl
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More delicious one-pan meal recipes
Sweet and Sour Salmon with Bok ChoyOne-Pan Chinese Chicken and RiceSpicy Rice Noodle SaladChicken Fried RiceVegetable Lo Mein
