Sundubu jjigae is a popular spicy soft tofu stew in Korean cuisine. This comforting stew is made by cooking soft tofu, with more ingredients, in a flavorful broth spiced with gochugaru. It's a quick and easy dish perfect for cold winter days.
Servings2
Ingredients
- 10 ounces zucchini* (about 1 large or 3 baby ones)
- fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ onion , thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger root
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) , or another red chilli flake
- 1½ cups stock* , use chicken, vegetable, or dashi
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce , or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon mirin , or a tiny pinch of sugar
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 10½ ounce pack soft silken tofu
- 3½ ounces enoki mushrooms
To finish (optional)
- 2 eggs , whole or just yolks
- 1 green finger chilli , chopped
- 1 green onion (scallion) , thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cut the zucchini (courgette) into bite-sized chunks – I like to quarter a large zucchini or half a baby zucchini before slicing it into smaller pieces. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and set aside.
- Place a heavy-based saucepan on medium heat. Add the oil, sliced onion, minced garlic and grated ginger, with a good pinch of salt. Sauté gently, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened a little and it starts to smell fragrant – about 5 minutes. Add the gochugaru and stir constantly for a minute without letting it burn – the flakes will bloom and turn everything a beautiful bright red, but they burn easily.
- Pour in the stock, then stir in the soy sauce, mirin, and white pepper. Add the zucchini and soft tofu. Roughly break the tofu up with a spoon and increase the heat to bring to a boil. Once it starts to bubble, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the courgettes are tender – about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt – I add about 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Scatter with the enoki mushrooms and gently crack in the eggs, if using. Sprinkle with the green chilli, if using (taste the stew for spiciness before adding the chilli). Cover with a lid to steam the eggs for 2 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
- Divide the Korean spicy soft tofu stew between bowls, carefully scooping each egg into a bowl. Sprinkle with green onions and serve hot, with steamed rice.
Notes
- Stock: The traditional choice would be to use Korean anchovy stock, but dashi also works well. Though I most often make this with homemade vegetable or chicken stock, you can also use water. If you use a stock you love, you'll love the stew too!
- Zucchini: I prefer to use young zucchini (baby courgettes or baby marrows), but a large zucchini works fine too.
- Vegan Sundubu: Omit the optional eggs and use vegan dashi or vegetable stock.
- Meat: If you want to, you can stir-fry 3½ ounces (100 grams) of ground pork in the oil until golden brown (about 5 minutes) before you add the onion, garlic, and ginger.