Sundubu Jjigae (Spicy Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
A bubbling Korean stew of silky soft tofu cooked in chili oil with seafood and finished with an egg cracked in at the table.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 2
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
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Method
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The story of this dish
"Sundubu" is very soft tofu that is eaten without being pressed into blocks, and "jjigae" is the Korean term for stews. Chodang village in Gangneung, on Korea's east coast, is famous for soft tofu curdled with seawater, though its signature dish is a milder, non-spicy sundubu.
The spicy red sundubu jjigae best known today spread in the second half of the 20th century and reached the wider world largely through Korean restaurants in the United States. It arrives bubbling in an earthenware pot (ttukbaegi), with an egg cooking in the hot broth at the last moment. Versions with pork are common; this recipe uses seafood and optional beef.
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