Stews & Soups
Sundubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Servings
2
Steps
- 1
Heat the oil in a small pot and cook the pork (or seafood) briefly until just starting to color.
- 2
Add the gochugaru and garlic, and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 3
Pour in the stock and bring to a boil.
- 4
Season with soy sauce or fish sauce.
- 5
Spoon the sundubu directly into the pot in large, soft scoops — don't cut it into neat cubes, it's meant to break apart naturally.
- 6
Simmer 3-4 minutes, just until the tofu is heated through.
- 7
If using an egg, crack it into the center right before serving so it cooks gently in the residual heat.
- 8
Top with green onion and serve immediately, still bubbling.
Did you know — Korean culture
Sundubu's silky texture may trace back to one very specific decision. Records connect it to Chodang, a village where a Joseon-era official reportedly made tofu using seawater instead of the usual brine to set the curds — leaving it soft and uncurdled instead of pressed into a firm block. Whether that's the literal origin or not, it's still the exact texture the dish is built around today.
Sundubu means "pure tofu," and it's a specific product, not just soft tofu you happen to have. It's never pressed or curdled the way firmer tofu is, which is why it holds a custard-like, almost pudding texture instead of a clean-cut cube. Buy the tube, not the block.
Records connect this stew back to a tofu-making tradition in a village called Chodang, where a Joseon-era official reportedly used seawater instead of brine to set the curds. Whatever the exact origin, the defining move hasn't changed: keep the tofu unpressed and barely set, and let it break apart into the broth rather than holding a shape.
Cracking a raw egg into the pot right before it reaches the table, not while it's still on the stove, is deliberate. The broth is hot enough to cook it gently in the few minutes it takes to actually start eating, without turning it into scrambled egg.
Troubleshooting
Tofu turned watery and thin? Regular soft or medium tofu was probably substituted for sundubu — they're not interchangeable here. Sundubu holds its custardy texture even as it heats through; other tofu just breaks down.
Broth too bland? The gochugaru needs a few seconds in hot oil before the liquid goes in — that blooming step is where a lot of the flavor comes from, not from the liquid itself.
Egg not cooking through? That's normal and intended — it's meant to be soft-set, more like a poached egg than hard-cooked. If you want it firmer, stir it into the broth for the last minute of simmering instead of adding it at the table.