Sundubu jjigae – spicy soft tofu and seafood stew Recipe
Sundubu jjigae is a warming, thick stew with very soft tofu, which in Korea is often eaten on colder days or after a night out as a “wake‑up soup”. It’s served in small, bubbling pots, often with a raw egg cracked on top that sets from the hot broth. At home you can get a similar effect in a regular pot – the key is to serve the dish really hot.
This sundubu jjigae combines the silky texture of soft tofu with a deep, spicy Korean broth and juicy seafood, creating a comforting, intensely flavorful dish that warms you up from the inside out.
Chef's tips
Use good‑quality Korean gochujang and gochugaru – they determine the character of the whole dish. If you like a more pronounced seafood flavor, cook the shells from the shrimp in the broth first and then strain it. Crack the egg into the stew right before serving so the yolk stays pleasantly runny.
How to serve
Serve the stew bubbling hot, with steamed white rice and small side dishes such as kimchi, pickled radish or lightly seasoned cucumber. Offer extra chili flakes and soy sauce at the table so everyone can adjust the heat and saltiness to their taste.
Ingredients
- tofu - 400 g
- krewetki - 150 g
- małże - 100 g
- bulion - 800 ml
- cebula - 1 sztuka
- czosnek - 3 ząbek
- pasta gochujang - 1.5 łyżka
- płatki chili gochugaru - 1 łyżka
- sos sojowy - 2 łyżka
- olej - 1.5 łyżka
- olej sezamowy - 1 łyżka
- cukier - 0.5 łyżeczka
- cukinia - 0.5 sztuka
- pieczarki - 100 g
- szczypiorek - 3 łyżka
- jajko - 1 sztuka
Preparation
- Finely dice the onion, chop the garlic very finely, cut the zucchini into half‑moons, the mushrooms into thin slices, and the chives into diagonal pieces.
- Rinse the shrimp and clams under cold water and pat dry with paper towels; if using frozen seafood, thaw it first.
- Heat the oil in a heavy‑bottomed pot over medium heat, add the onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes, until it softens and becomes slightly translucent.
- Add the garlic, gochugaru chili flakes and gochujang paste, and fry for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the spices become very fragrant but do not burn.
- Pour in the broth, add the soy sauce and sugar, stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the zucchini and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften but do not fall apart.
- Gently add the tofu to the pot, preferably using a spoon to break it into larger chunks; do not stir too vigorously so it doesn’t completely fall apart.
- Add the shrimp and clams and simmer over low heat for 4–5 minutes, until the seafood turns opaque and firm and the soup is slightly thickened.
- Finally, pour in the sesame oil and gently swirl the pot instead of stirring with a spoon, so as not to break up the tofu.
- Taste and, if needed, season with additional soy sauce or a pinch more chili flakes if you like very spicy dishes.
- Just before serving, bring the stew to a vigorous boil, crack an egg into the center and cook for another 1–2 minutes, until the white starts to set and the yolk remains runny.
- Remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped chives and serve very hot, ideally with a bowl of cooked rice on the side.
Storage
Gulasz przechowuj bez jajka w lodówce, podgrzewaj delikatnie na małym ogniu, aby tofu się nie rozpadło. Jajko zawsze dodawaj świeże tuż przed podaniem.
