Spicy Soft Tofu Stew better known as Soondubu Jjigae is one of the well-known Korean stews. It’s loved by many, including myself, so today I’ll show you how to make it from scratch!
As Koreans, we love soup. More so, we love to highlight certain produce in the food that we make. Namely, we have Kimchi Jjigae which highlights the funky flavor of Kimchi. We also have Doenjang Jjigae which highlights soybean paste in combination with some vegetables to make soup. And so much more!
In soondubu jjigae, soft tofu is the main star. Here we use the kind of tofu that isn’t pressed which means it has high water content resulting in an extra silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture. You can usually buy these in Asian groceries! While fresh tofu has a hint of creaminess, it still takes on the soup really well which makes this super comforting and enjoyable to eat.
Soft Tofu Stew Ingredients
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There are so many ways to make this dish, but here I’ll explain the different elements that will help you make this the best-tasting soup you’ve ever made from scratch!
Soup Stock
One of the things I love about Korean soups is their depth of flavor that’s refreshing and tasty. Personally, I like to use dashi packets which contain dried kelp, dried shrimp, and dried anchovy. Boiling this for 10 minutes will produce a seafood stock you can use for any soup recipe, including this one.
You can also make your own soup stock by boiling small pieces of dried kelp, dried anchovy, and Korean radish. But do feel free to use another type of stock like chicken, pork, or vegetable according to what’s available to you.
Soup Base
- Ground Pork. For this recipe, I used a pork belly that was minced. I love to add a small amount of pork in soondubu because this, combined with the aromatics and red pepper powder is just fire! But if you don’t eat pork, you can skip the meat and use an additional tablespoon of oil when you sauté the aromatics.
- Garlic, Onion, and Scallion. This will be the aromatics of the soup. When you sauté them, save 1/4 of the onion and scallion to add at the end of cooking so they remain crunchy and you can use it for garnish.
- Korean Red Pepper Powder. This is going to the spicy base of the soup. I like to use red pepper powder because it yields a more vibrant soup color, but other than that, red pepper flakes are okay to use too! Use the amount that’s appropriate for your spice tolerance.
- Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Salt & Pepper, and Hondashi. These are just several pantry items you can use to enhance the soup. Start with two tablespoons of soy sauce and fish sauce (this is optional). Depending on your taste, season with salt, pepper, and hondashi.
Soondubu Components
- Silken Tofu. This is the star of the show. It usually comes in cylindrical plastic or rectangular packaging. You can use either as long as it says “soft tofu” or “silken tofu”. In opening the cylinder type, you need to carefully slice it in the middle, otherwise, it might pop and crumble.
- Zucchini and Mushroom. These are the common vegetables you can add to the soup. They also bring flavor by adding sweetness and umami to the soup. Other veggies you can add are kimchi and enoki mushrooms!
- Squid, Clam, and Shrimp. Essentially this will become Haemul Soondubu Jjigae which means seafood soft tofu stew. You can use fresh or frozen seafood depending on what’s available to you. Aside from being the main protein, this will also add a clean seafood taste to the soup.
- Egg. These are usually added last, just right before it is served in a restaurant. You can let it poach in the hot soup or mix it all in. Nevertheless, it is added last because this can make the soup a bit thick and we don’t want that.
Variations for Soft Tofu Stew
With the number of ingredients used in making soft tofu stew, you can definitely customize it according to your liking or diet. You can use the combination of Kimchi-Pork Belly, Seafood only, or Vegetarian, but I like using the combination of Pork Belly-Seafood the best.
If you think about it, almost all elements in this soup dish have unique flavors and it comes together and gets absorbed by soft tofu. For a non-spicy version of this soup, try this White Soondubu Jjigae! Oooh!
How to Cook Spicy Soft Tofu Stew?
Before anything else, it must be noted that this recipe is a big batch because I made this for my relatives. So if you’re following this, make sure to use a big pot. Feel free to use fewer portions if cooking for fewer people.
Step 1. The key here is to render the pork, then add the aromatics, and let it sweat. This is called “pagirum”, and this is where all the flavor will be coming from. Sauteing these ingredients is an essential step in making soondubu.
Step 2. Add pepper powder, sauté it really well, and season with some soy sauce. This will ultimately bring out all the spice in that powder and as you season, more flavor will build up.
Step 3. Add the soup stock that you made and let it come to a boil. Taste and season with salt and pepper accordingly.
Step 4. Add your seafood, vegetables, and tofu gradually. Let boil after adding each category of ingredients. Note to be careful with the tofu. Do not crush it, keep it in big chunks so that when it is served, people will have the liberty to eat it as is or to mix it in their rice.
Step 5. Season with fish sauce, salt, pepper, and hondashi depending on your preference. Add the egg last and let it poach or mix it in.
Single Serving Soondubu
The measurements in the recipe card are meant to serve 6-8 people. If you want a single-serve soobdubu recipe you can prepare it directly in a ttukbaegi using the following ingredients:
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon scallion
- 2 tablespoons onion
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon pepper powder
- 1/2 tablespoon pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- black pepper
- anchovy-dashima stock
Do the same procedure I did to make the soondubu soup base. For the toppings, gradually add a little bit of squid, shrimp, and baby clam, 2 tablespoon clam juice, mushrooms, 2 tablespoon onion, 200 grams soft tofu, and 1 piece of egg. Serve it hot with rice and enjoy!
Serving Soondubu
There is nothing else I would serve this stew with apart from a hot bowl of freshly cooked white rice. If you’re feeling extra and you have ttukbaegi, heat it up and serve the soup in an earthenware bowl. If not, just serve this extra hot!
Other classic Korean recipes that are delicious when you make from scratch:
- Kalguksu (Handcut Noodles)
- Gomtang (Oxtail Broth)
- Bibim Guksu (Spicy Cold Noodles)
- Mandu (Korean Dumplings)
- Galbi Jjim (Korean Braised Short Ribs)
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Spicy Soft Tofu Stew (Soondubu Jjigae)
Ingredients
Dashi Stock
- 1 Dashi Pack
- 3 cups Water
Soup Base
- 2 tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil For sauteing
- 50 grams Minced Pork
- 1 tbsp Garlic
- 3 stalks Scallions Chopped, Save 1/4 for garnish
- 1 large Onion Chopped, Save 1/4 for garnish
- 2 tbsp Korean Red Pepper Powder
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce for Soup
- Salt and Pepper To taste
- Fish Sauce To taste
- Hondashi To taste
Soondubu Contents
- 1 medium-size Zucchini Sliced moon-shaped or diced
- 4 pcs Shiitake Mushroom Sliced
- 1 whole-body Squid Sliced to bitesize
- 1 cup Clams
- 4 pcs Shrimp
- 2 packs Soft Tofu Stew (200g each)
- 2 pcs Egg
Instructions
- Prepare your dashi stock by boiling one dashi packet in water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your other ingredients.
- In high heat, with a splash of oil, sauté the pork and let it render.
- Throw in the onion and scallion, mix, and let it sweat until fragrant.
- Add Korean pepper powder and garlic, then sauté.
- Season with soy sauce and sauté again.
- Add the dashi stock and season with salt and pepper, then taste. The soup should be delicious at this point.
- Let soup boil then add the seafood. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the vegetables and the rest of the onion and let boil.
- Once boiling again, add the silken tofu. Divide it into big chunks, and let boil.
- Lastly, throw in an egg or two then garnish with scallions.
- Taste and season along the way, add fish sauce or hondashi as needed.
- Remove any impurities coming up.
- Serve in a ttukbaegi with a bowl of freshly cooked white rice.
Mei says
I just made this and let me tell you, it’s delicious! One of the best soondobu’s that I have had. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Chef Chris Cho says
Yeobosayo!! Glad you liked the recipe!!