Video: How To Make Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)

Earlier this winter Robyn and I both had a bit of a cold, and there are few things in the world better for a cold than soondoobu jjigae—Korean soft tofu stew. A rich broth flavored with pork, beef, or seafood along with glutamate-dense sea kelp and dried anchovies, it arrives at the table fiery red, bubbling intensely in a hot stone pot.

Thick with soft, silky tofu, plenty of garlic and onions, and a raw egg for stirring and enriching the broth, it's an assault on all of your senses that leaves your sinuses cleared and your mind sharp as a tack.

Once I get a craving for jjigae, there's only one inevitable outcome: I head over to So Kong Don in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

So Robyn, Jessica, Hambone and I piled into the Serious Eats Ford Edge, drove across the George Washington, and under Cassandra's peerless guidance (that's what we call the soft-spoken on-board computer), were pulling into the parking lot in record time.

Now here's the thing. I love soondubu jjigae, and So Kong Dong is a fine place to get it, but on our way home we decided that we wanted to be able to eat it any time we wanted at the office.

So we stopped by Mitsuwa, the Japanese mega-mart, and picked up the basic ingredients and headed back to the office to cook up another batch to get us through the afternoon. Check out the video below to watch the full soup-making process or head straight to the recipe.

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