This Korean tofu stew is the perfect recipe to try out if you want to fall in love with a dish and eat it every day for the next month. It is quick, easy, and full of mouthwatering flavors. There is nothing not to like about this, as you will soon find out.
Sundubu Jjigae is a delightfully heartwarming Korean soft tofu stew (Also check out Best Korean Soup Recipes) and is one of the most popular dishes in Korea (for good reason). While there are a number of recipe variations out there, the one we’re looking at today uses pork belly, but it can be customized.
The freshly curdled soft tofu used in this dish adds a delightful creaminess to the dish, making this one recipe you are not going to want to miss out on.
Quick Answer: Sundubu Jjigae: The Incredible Korean Tofu Stew Recipe You Need To Try
To make this tasty Korean tofu stew, you are going to need an egg, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, dashi or anchovy stock, pork belly, soft tofu, red chili flakes, soy sauce, minced garlic, and green onion.
Simply prepare your ingredients and sauté them for a few minutes before adding your stock and soy sauce, and allow everything to simmer before adding your mushrooms and tofu. Serve with a boiled egg and green onion.
Sundubu Jjigae: Incredible Korean Tofu Stew Recipe
This recipe is delightfully easy, and it’s bound to be a winner for anyone who tries it. The best part is that everything in it is so easy to customize to suit your preferences or the preferences of others.
From the protein you use to the spice level, you can change whatever you like. If this sounds like something you can’t wait to try (we know you’re drooling already), let’s jump into it!
Why You Will Love This Recipe?
There are plenty of reasons to love this wonderful recipe, but we will keep things short and sweet with these four reasons why you will love this dish:
Anyone can make it – you really don’t need to be a pro in the kitchen to make this easy and delicious dish. There are no advanced cooking methods involved, and the most difficult part is going to be chopping the ingredients!
Full of delicious flavors – with ingredients like chili flakes, soy sauce, tofu, and onion, you know this dish is going to be packed full of flavor.
You need less than 30 minutes – you only need around 25 minutes to put everything together and cook, so you can make this dish no matter how busy your days are.
Any protein will work for the recipe – you can use pork, beef, chicken, tofu, or anything else you think could work to suit your preferences. You can easily skip the meat, too, and just opt for only tofu.
What Ingredients Will You Need?
If you do not usually create these kinds of dishes, you might need to head to the store to get some of these ingredients.
After all, most people don’t usually have these delightful mushrooms just sitting around their kitchen! Here’s a list of the ingredients you are going to need to make this delicious Korean dish:
Soy Sauce
Green Onion
Soft/Silken Tofu
Garlic (minced)
Onion (chopped)
Fresh Shiitake Mushroom
Korean Red Chili Flakes
Dashi or Anchovy stock (other stock works, too)
Enoki Mushrooms
1 Egg
Pork Belly, beef, or any other protein you prefer
While this particular recipe calls for pork belly, you can easily use any kind of protein you like, including tofu, chicken, beef, and even seafood.
You can also use whatever kind of stock you like if you can’t get your hands on dashi or anchovy stock (or simply don’t want to).
Step-By-Step Instructions To Make Sundubu Jjigae
You will not believe how easy this recipe is – there are less than 10 steps involved! Let’s go through each step so that you can easily recreate this Korean soft tofu stew:
Prepare all your ingredients by chopping, mincing, and dicing everything you need before you get into the cooking steps!
In a medium-sized pot, add some oil and heat over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add your pork belly and sauté for 4–5 minutes until cooked.
If you are using beef instead, make sure the meat has been diced into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper, then pan fry for 2–3 minutes until browned.
Add your minced garlic, onion, red chili flakes, and the white parts of your green onion, and sauté for 2–3 minutes until tender.
Toss in your stock and soy sauce, then allow everything to simmer for around 5 minutes.
After five minutes have passed, you can add your mushrooms and soft tofu. You will need to carefully break the tofu a little with a spoon, then allow everything to simmer for a further 4–5 minutes.
If you’re using beef, you can add the beef in shortly before serving to ensure it stays warm.
Dish up in your favorite bowl, and top it off with green onion and egg.
Enjoy!
Tips And Tricks
Take a look at some of these tips and tricks to make sure that the recipe works for you!
Play Around With The Spice Level
Since this dish is so easy to customize, do not be afraid to actually play around with the spice levels and find that sweet spot. There is no ‘minimum’ spice level that this dish needs to be to qualify, so do whatever makes you happy.
If you are feeling adventurous or brave, you can easily up the spice level by adding more chili flakes (you could also add chili powder or fresh chili).
If spice really isn’t your thing, you can skip out on the chili completely – no one will judge! It is an acquired taste, and not everyone loves spice.
Any Protein Will Work
We mentioned that this particular recipe calls for pork belly, but there are no rules. You can use beef, chicken, and even seafood if you really want. If meat is not your thing, you can go vegetarian and avoid meat altogether!
If you do opt to go meat-free, you could add some firm tofu to give the dish more body. You can try it up like you would the meat and do everything the exact same way. The recipe will still be mouthwatering and unmissable.
Recipe Variations: Must-Try Options
There are a few variations you might want to try on top of playing around with the spice level and meat. Here are a couple of options you could try out if you are looking for other ways to change the recipe in any way:
Use a different stock or broth – you can easily use beef or chicken stock, or any other kind of stock you would prefer for whatever reason. If you wanted to make your stew as flavorful as possible, you could even use a bone broth (or make your own, it’s easier than you think), and use that! It will also add some nice thickness to the overall dish.
Add a boiled egg on top – a boiled egg (or two) can really help to pull everything together. If you are hungry, we could definitely recommend enjoying this dish with one – bonus points if they are soy sauce boiled eggs!
Try a seafood variation – if you really love seafood, then you can use seafood in this recipe, with no problems! You can add seafood such as shrimp, mussels, clams, and even fish if you really want. You will also probably use fish sauce with this variation to help tie everything together.
Add extra vegetables – love vegetables, or know that you are not getting enough in your diet? Add extra vegetables to this dish to give it more body and get those nutrients in! Popular vegetables to add to dishes like this include zucchini and yellow squash. Korean radish is also a great option if you want something extra.
Use gochujang – this will add some extra flavor and only make this dish even better. Gochujang has a nice level of spice (depending on the brand), and is full of layers and depth, so it can work miracles for dishes like this. If you do use gochujang, we would recommend taking it easy on the chili flakes – you do not want to overdo the heat!
If you can think of anything else that you would want to try, do it! As soon as you start to think about what’s listed on the page as the only possibility, the magic dies.
Experiment with different ingredients and find something you love. You might be able to put a brand-new spin on this Korean classic and really make it your own.
What Can You Serve This Dish With?
There are lots of delightful dishes you could enjoy with this Korean soft tofu stew. Let’s go through a few fantastic options that you should consider when you make this dish:
Noodles – you could choose to have your favorite noodles with this dish if you really like! While this is not the popular way of enjoying the dish, some menus do offer the option, so what’s stopping you from trying it out? You can use instant ramen noodles, or go the udon route for something a little different.
Steamed short-grain rice – short-grain rice is made up of plumper and shooter grains compared to long-grain rice (shocker, we know!). There’s more starch in this kind of rice, which also makes the grains stick to each other. This is the type of rice that is used to make sushi and desserts like rice puddings.
Kimchi – kimchi is another very popular side dish that is used alongside various foods. It is a Korean classic and is essentially a combination of fermented cabbage and carrots. The vegetables are in a delightfully tangy and sweet sauce, with an overall umami flavor with a potent salty and sour flavor.
Kongnamul – this is a soybean sprout side dish that has a delicious nutty flavor with a nice crunch. It is very easy to make, and all you need to make it are as follows: soybean sprouts, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. You could also add garlic and green onion if you want something extra to the dish.
Storing Leftovers
If you do find yourself with leftovers, you can store them for later! To do this, make sure that the food has been given time to reach room temperature, then put it in an airtight container to be stored in the refrigerator.
There, it should keep for up to five days (but try to eat it within 2–3 days). Freezing is not the greatest idea with dishes like this, as the mushrooms can go a little more slimy than you want.
However, if that is not something you mind too much, you can keep it in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze it for up to three months. Frozen food is technically safe indefinitely, but the quality will diminish the longer it is frozen.
As such, the texture and appearance of the dish might be a little different from what you are expecting if you freeze it for too long.
Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers can easily be reheated by simply adding the food to a pot and allowing it to simmer for a few minutes. You can do this immediately from the fridge to enjoy your dish in record time.
If you freeze the tofu stew, you will need to leave it to thaw out in the fridge overnight, then reheat it and enjoy.
Final Thoughts
This Korean soft tofu stew is beyond delicious, and so easy to make. While you might need to stop by your local grocery store to get all the mushrooms, you probably have everything else you need.
In less than half an hour, this dish could be sitting on the table, ready to be eaten. Don’t forget to try out different variations if you think that it could be improved in any way. Experimenting is half the fun!
Sundubu Jjigae: The Incredible Korean Tofu Stew Recipe You Need To Try
Recipe by Lana RiveraCourse: Uncategorized
Servings
4
servings
Prep time
30
minutes
Cooking time
40
minutes
Calories
300
kcal
Looking for something delicious and heartwarming? This incredible Korean tofu stew (sundubu jjigae) is going to become your new favorite tasty dish!
Ingredients
Soy Sauce
Green Onion
Soft/Silken Tofu
Garlic (minced)
Onion (chopped)
Fresh Shiitake Mushroom
Korean Red Chili Flakes
Dashi or Anchovy stock (other stock works, too)
Enoki Mushrooms
1 Egg
Pork Belly, beef, or any other protein you prefer
Directions
Prepare all your ingredients by chopping, mincing, and dicing everything you need before you get into the cooking steps!
In a medium-sized pot, add some oil and heat over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add your pork belly and sauté for 4–5 minutes until cooked.
If you are using beef instead, make sure the meat has been diced into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper, then pan fry for 2–3 minutes until browned.
Add your minced garlic, onion, red chili flakes, and the white parts of your green onion, and sauté for 2–3 minutes until tender.
Toss in your stock and soy sauce, then allow everything to simmer for around 5 minutes.
After five minutes have passed, you can add your mushrooms and soft tofu. You will need to carefully break the tofu a little with a spoon, then allow everything to simmer for a further 4–5 minutes.
If you’re using beef, you can add the beef in shortly before serving to ensure it stays warm.
Dish up in your favorite bowl, and top it off with green onion and egg.
Hey! I’m Lana, the original Soup Chick! I decided to create this website as I am a massive soup fan. I will literally make soup for every occasion. Whether a friend is under the weather, has the flu, or I just want to try out something new in my slow cooker!
I hope that you can find some really interesting and different soup recipes to try out with my site. I know I’ve had a lot of fun curating and trying them all, and I hope that you do too!
