How to Make Soondubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)
Let’s make this delicious stew!
Easy shortcut to make soondubu jjigae at home, also known as Korean soft tofu stew. It is such a comforting dish and perfect for cold days!
What is Soondubu Jjigae?
Soondubu jjigae is a Korean soft tofu stew. In Korean, soondubu means soft tofu and jjigae means stew. As the name indicates, this dish is made with soft tofu and Korean chili paste (gochujang) and/or powder (gochugaru). It can be made mild and in different spice levels, but I love it spicy! Often times, this soup includes veggies, seafood, and/or meat. It is cooked in a stone pot, then the soup is served in the same pot bubbling hot.
An egg is typically added just before so by the time the soup cools enough to eat, the egg will be cooked but with a runny yolk. It is eaten with rice and banchan. Such a comforting dish and perfect for cold days!
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Tofu Soup Kit
The easiest shortcut for making soondubu jjigae at home is to use the BCD Soon Tofu Soup Kit. You can find these kits at H Mart or your local Asian grocery store. It costs about $3. The kit comes with a sauce packet and soft tofu. There are different spice levels: plain, medium hot, hot, and extra hot.
My favorite is the extra hot! It is spicy but not atomic, has just the perfect amount of kick! All you need to do is add water and you have an amazing soup in minutes! If you want to fancy it up, you can your favorite protein and veggies. Each kit makes about 2 servings.
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Protein and Veggies to Add
I typically make this with small slices of pork belly. It is also great with beef like ribeye or ground beef. My favorite way to have it is with seafood like shrimp and clams. You can also add fish sauce for more umami. For veggies, I like to add onion, garlic, zucchini, green onions, and mushrooms. My favorite mushroom to use for this is enoki. Seafood or shiitake mushrooms are great too! At the very end, I add in an egg because eggs make everything better. Let it simmer just enough so the whites are not translucent anymore but the yolk is still runny.
However, if you are looking for a super quick meal, you don’t really even need to add anything. The soup kit is great on its own too!
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Shortcut Soondubu Jjigae
Ingredients
- ½ lb pork belly, sliced
- ¼ onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅗ cup water
- ½ zucchini, sliced
- 1 BCD Soon Tofu Soup Kit
- enoki or seafood mushrooms
- 1 egg
- 1 green onion, sliced
Instructions
- In a pot on medium heat, cook pork until it is no longer pink.
- Add onion & garlic, cook until softened.
- Add water & zucchini, bring to a boil.
- Add contents of the soup kit. Mix in the sauce. Gently break apart the soft tofu & mix into soup.
- Add mushrooms & egg. Cook until the egg whites are cooked through but the yolk is still runny.
- Top with green onions, serve simmering with a side of rice, & enjoy!
