Seriously Asian: Korean Soondubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) Recipe

Updated May 15, 2019

In This Recipe

The memorable meals in our lives take place in the presence of friends and family. Dishes we cook for those we love leave indelible impressions in our minds, like culinary timestamps. Even so, I eat some of my best meals when I'm alone in the kitchen, cooking something I've honed obsessively.

Nights spent in solitude demand a different approach. Cooking can take as little as half an hour or longer than two, but the pace is never hurried. Only one vessel is used so there's less to clean afterward. Ingredients are high in quality, but extravagant purchases seem beside the point. Every cook has such a dish: a meal that can be composed of disparate items, all gathered together to satisfy a singular palate. For me, this dish is Korean soondubu jjigae, a tiny cauldron of bubbling, spicy, silken tofu.

A package of extra soft silken tofu for making soondubu jjigae — Serious Eats / Chichi Wang

What Is Soondubu Jjigae?

Roughly translating to "soft tofu stew," a pot of soondubu is possibly the silkiest tofu dish you will ever cook. A classic Korean tofu dish with countless variations, no two pots of soondubu are ever the same. Usually, the softest type of tofu we can buy at the supermarket is labeled "silken." The delicate tofu used for this dish far eclipses the standard level of silkiness. Quivering like a nearly-cooked custard, soon-tofu is gently lowered into a pot of fiery red broth spiked with hot chili and garlic paste. Simmered with meat, seafood, and vegetables, each pot of tofu is brought to a vigorous boil and speedily moved to the table for consumption.

The Treasured Clay Pot

A clay pot used for making soondubu — Serious Eats / Chichi Wang

Over time, my preparation of the dish has become ritual. Like all rites, mine employs a sacramental object: a small clay pot, specifically made for soondubu. The vessel, glazed with black enamel, remains stark and porous on the bottom. Just as treasured by cooks as cast iron, clay pots also possess the ability to change and improve over time. Heated slowly over a medium flame, the pot will never crack, yet it remains piping hot long after it's been brought to the table.

A collage of soondubu cooking on the stovetop — Serious Eats / Chichi Wang

Making Soondubu Jjigae

Heating the clay pot affords time for preparation. If the protein is meat, then my favorite choice is thinly sliced beef ribeye. Seared quickly in the bottom of the vessel with just a bit of fat, I remove the beef when it's still rare and charred on one side. Vegetables follow. No matter the choice, the vegetal juices deglaze the bits of meat sticking to the interior of the pot.

Soondubu can be made with a diverse range of vegetables. Sometimes I want the body of a dense vegetable that becomes tender with stewing, like zucchinis, daikon, or chayote. Other times, I prefer leafy greens such as bok choy or spinach. Kimchi has also found its way into the pot. After a quick sautée, I pour in a cup of meat or seafood stock. The moment the liquid hits the clay pot, the surface sizzles and steams with the aroma of the broth. When the vegetables are simmered through, various types of seafood—shrimp, scallops, clams—may be added to the pot.

A pot of soondubu with a raw egg cracked into it — Serious Eats / Chichi Wang

A Single Raw Egg

No matter the variations, the ritual concludes with one sanctifying act. Once the pot is brought to the dinner table, a single raw egg must be cracked into the tofu. Quickly, I incorporate the egg, thickening and enriching the bubbling red broth with each gentle stir. Rich in flavor yet light in body, soondubu is a dish that nurtures the body and soul. As the spicy broth courses down my throat and fills my belly with lasting warmth, I am nourished.

Adapted from Discovering Korean Cuisine: Recipes from the Best Korean Restaurants in Los Angeles edited by Allisa Park.

Recipe Details

Seriously Asian: Korean Soondubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) Recipe

Cook 25 mins

Total 25 mins

Serves 1 to 2 servings

Ingredients

1/2 carton extra-silken tofu, roughly 5 ounces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or cooking fat
1 ounce ribeye steak, sliced thinly across the grain
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetables (seasonal)
2 teaspoons soondubu paste, or to taste (recipe below)
1 cup meat or vegetable stock
Seafood, optional (4 clams, a handful of chopped squid, or 3 medium-size shrimp)
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt
Thinly sliced green onions as a garnish
Rice as an accompaniment

Spicy Soondubu Paste:

2 tablespoons coarse hot pepper powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon beef broth, fish sauce, or water

Directions

Slowly heat clay pot over a low flame on stovetop.
In the meantime, have your mise-en-place ready: Sprinkle slices of beef with a pinch of salt. Cut vegetables of your choice into a 1/2-inch dice.
When clay pot is hot, add cooking oil or fat and briefly heat. Add slices of ribeye all at once. Do not stir. Let surface of meat brown and char; once one side has browned, remove all of the meat with chopsticks or a slotted spoon. Set aside. Each slice of beef should still be fairly raw.
Add diced vegetables to pot and let juices deglaze bits of meat sticking to bottom of the pot. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.
When vegetables have browned, add tofu paste to pot. Stir it around with vegetables, taking care not to burn paste.
Pour in all of the broth. Broth will simmer, then boil vigorously. Depending on vegetables, cook for 2 to 7 minutes.
When vegetables are nearly tender, add tofu by large spoonfuls, taking care not to break up custard-like tofu into little bits. Any remaining tofu in carton may be stored in an airtight container filled to the brim with filtered water, which must be changed daily. It can be kept for 3 days in this manner.
Add seafood if you're using any. Return beef to top of broth. Let simmer for an additional minute. There should be enough broth to just cover all of ingredients. Add more broth if necessary, and add more spicy tofu paste to taste.
With heat-proof mitts, very carefully transfer tofu pot from burner to table. Have the accompanying rice ready. Crack egg into tofu pot, stirring very gently to preserve the integrity of tofu. Sprinkle green onions on top for garnish.
For the Spicy Soondubu Paste: Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in a small glass jar. Seal it tightly and keep in refrigerator for at least 2 days and up to 3 weeks.

Notes

Tofu for soondubu can be found in Korean and Chinese supermarkets. Generally, the tofu is labeled "extra-silken" to denote its custard-like nature. In addition to cartons, the tofu is also sold in vacuum-sealed tubes.

Clay pots for tofu and rice are readily available in Korean supermarkets. Mine cost $6 and has given me years of solitary comfort and joy.

While Korean markets sell tubs of chili-garlic paste, the seasoning can be easily made with just four ingredients: hot pepper powder, soy sauce, salt, and minced garlic. Left to commingle in a jar, the ingredients become one: a thick and sanguine paste, especially pungent with the use of fresh garlic.

Tofu

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
359	Calories
21g	Fat
29g	Carbs
14g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1 to 2
Amount per serving
Calories	359
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g	27%
Saturated Fat 3g	16%
Cholesterol 101mg	34%
Sodium 696mg	30%
Total Carbohydrate 29g	11%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 9mg	43%
Calcium 123mg	9%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 317mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.