Sundubu Jjigae
KOREAN · KOREA

Sundubu Jjigae

순두부찌개SoupMain

A bubbling stone bowl of soft tofu, chilli heat and briny seafood, with an egg cracked in at the table. Bold, comforting and unapologetically funky.

Total
35 min
Heat
4/5
Serves
2

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Flavour profile

Heat
Funk
Acid
Richness
Umami
  • Funky
  • Silky
  • Spicy
  • Umami

The real deal

Region
Korea, a staple of Korean home cooking and late-night dining.
Technique
Chilli and aromatics are fried in oil first to build a red base, then stock and soft tofu are simmered together, never stirred hard, and an egg is cracked in at the end.
We kept
The gochugaru base, silken tofu, egg, and a funky kick from kimchi or salted shrimp. We keep it as a soup, not a sauce-heavy braise.

Ingredients

2 Serves

Base

  • 1 tbsp
  • 2 tbsp · coarse Korean chilli flakes
  • 3 cloves · minced
  • 2 cm · minced
  • 120 g · aged, chopped, plus its juice
  • 100 g · optional · thinly sliced, or use minced pork
  • 1 tbsp · salted fermented shrimp, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp · salted fermented shrimp, finely chopped

Broth

  • 1 · or make your own anchovy-kelp stock
  • 700 ml

soup

  • 700 g · sundubu, Korean soft tofu
  • 150 g · optional · purged, or use raw prawns
  • 100 g · trimmed and separated
  • 3 · white parts sliced, green tops reserved
  • 1 tbsp · or light soy sauce

finish

  • 2 · one per person
  • 1 tsp

Method

  1. Mince the and together until fine. Slice the : keep the white parts for the base and the green tops for the finish. If using, slice the thinly across the grain. Chop the into bite-sized pieces, keeping any juice that runs out. Trim the root end of the and separate the strands.

  2. Bring the 700 ml to a bare simmer with the . Hold it just below a boil for 5 min, then fish out the stock pack.

    Never boil anchovy-kelp stock hard — it turns bitter and cloudy.

  3. Set a heavy pot over medium heat and add the 1 tbsp , then the , minced aromatics, and the white spring onion. Stir constantly for 1 min until the oil turns deep red and smells toasty. Add the and fry for 2 min until no longer pink, then add the and its juice. Cook for another 2 min until the kimchi softens and smells sour-sweet.

    Keep the heat moderate: gochugaru scorches in seconds and turns the whole pot bitter.

  4. Pour in broth and bring to a rolling boil.

  5. Spoon the into the pot in large curds, add the and , and simmer for 5 min. Do not stir hard — you want soft, cloud-like pieces, not a purée.

    Push the tofu gently with the back of a spoon; vigorous stirring breaks it into mush.

  6. Stir in the and taste. Add more or soy if it needs a deeper savoury punch.

  7. Kill the heat, crack the into the centre of the pot, cover and let it poach in the residual heat for 2 min. Scatter with the reserved spring onion greens and .

    The egg should be barely set with a molten yolk; it will keep cooking in the hot broth.

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