Stews & jjigae

Soft Tofu Stew

sundubu-jjigae

Silken tofu stew with seafood or pork, chili oil and a raw egg.

Medium25 min2 servings🌶️🌶️★ 83Contains soyContains fishContains egg

🍲

History & culture

Soft tofu stew draws on regional soondubu traditions, notably stories tied to Gangneung's Chodang area where fine tofu was prized. Market cooks and homes likely simmered fresh tofu in anchovy or seafood broth with gochugaru for a quick, warming meal. From the late twentieth century the dish spread nationwide, often served in earthenware with egg and optional seafood or kimchi. It is now a standard Korean restaurant export abroad as well.

Servings

KCook

Ingredients & steps

Cook mode

Ingredients

Garlic
2 cloves
Onion
0.5 medium
Silken (soft) tofu
1 pack
Neutral cooking oil
1 tbsp
Water
2 cups
Anchovy-kelp broth (or dashi)
Substituteinstant dashi + water
1 tbsp
Fresh clamsOptional
Substitutelittleneck or manila clams
100 g
Egg
1 each
Green onion
Substitutescallion or spring onion
2 stalks

Seasonings

Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
Substitutecoarse red pepper flakes (adjust heat)
1.5 tbsp
Soy sauce
SubstituteTsuyu (diluted) 2 tsp (2 tsp per 1 tbsp) or Tamari 1 tbsp
1 tbsp
Salt
0.5 tsp

Steps

1Medium heat2 min
Sauté onion and gochugaru in a ttukbaegi pot with a little oil until fragrant.
- Onion
- Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
- Neutral cooking oil
2High heat6 min
Add broth and clams; bring to a boil and add silken tofu in large spoonfuls.
- Water
- Anchovy-kelp broth (or dashi)
- Fresh clams
- Silken (soft) tofu
3Medium heat2 min
Season with soy sauce and salt, crack egg on top, simmer 2 minutes, and serve bubbling with green onion.
- Egg
- Green onion
- Soy sauce
- Salt

Storage & reheating

Not ideal for storage; best eaten immediately from the pot.

Troubleshooting

⚠️ Tofu breaks into tiny pieces
→ Add silken tofu gently at the end and do not stir vigorously.
⚠️ Stew is not spicy enough
→ Bloom gochugaru in oil at the start for deeper heat.