Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)
Bubbling-hot soft tofu stew, brick-red with gochugaru, finished with an egg cracked in at the table.
Korean · easy · serves 2
prep 15 min · cook 20 min
~462 cal · 56g protein · 11g carbs · 23g fat · 3g fiber · 4g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Sundubu-jjigae is a beloved Korean stew of silken, uncurdled soft tofu ('sundubu') in a bubbling, brick-red broth of gochugaru chili, often with seafood or pork, and a raw egg cracked in at the table. It arrives still furiously boiling in a stone pot, the tofu so soft it dissolves into custardy clouds.
The broth is built on chili, garlic, and often anchovy or kelp . The extra-soft tofu, freshly made and never pressed, gives it a uniquely delicate texture unlike firmer tofu dishes.
Served with rice and banchan in the port city of Busan and across Korea, sundubu-jjigae is eaten hot, especially in cold weather.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 2
1 lb tube or block extra-soft (sundubu) tofu
2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
Hard to find? sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne - gochugaru is coarse, fruity and only moderately hot, and it is doing colour as much as heat; ordinary crushed chilli flakes are far sharper and will unbalance the dish
2.5 cups anchovy-kelp
1/2 lb clams or shrimp (optional but classic)
1/2 cup kimchi, chopped, standard cabbage kimchi is seasoned with anchovy fish sauce and salted shrimp
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
3 tbsp kimchi juice from the jar
1/2 tsp sugar
to taste salt and black pepper
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 eggs
2 , sliced
2 bowls steamed rice, to serve
Instructions
1
Soften the onion, then bloom the gochugaru and garlic in sesame oil over medium heat, 1 minute, don’t let it scorch.
2
Add the kimchi and fry 2 minutes until its brine cooks off, then pour in the stock and the kimchi juice, season with sugar, salt and pepper, and simmer 5.
✎ Chef’s note
Use properly ripe, sour kimchi and add a splash of its juice: an under-fermented kimchi leaves the stew flat. The pinch of sugar is there to round the sourness, not to sweeten.
3
Add the clams (or mushrooms) and cook until opened (or tender).
4
Slide in the soft tofu in big spoonfuls, barely stir; the curds should stay cloud-like.
5
Bring to a hard bubble, crack the eggs in, scatter scallions, and serve immediately with rice while it still roars.
Busan counter-stew tradition.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Gyeongsang (Busan). Busan's cold noodle dish was made by refugees. North Koreans who came south during the war could not get the buckwheat that naengmyeon needs, so they used the wheat flour arriving with American rations, and milmyeon, wheat noodles in chilled broth, became the city's own summer dish.
🗺️
South Korea. Korea is a fermentation nation, where kimchi, gochujang, and doenjang anchor nearly every meal, and the table fills with shared banchan side dishes. Sizzling barbecue, bubbling stews, and rice-based comfort foods make eating a lively, communal affair.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from South Korea
BibimbapA bowl of rice crowned with seasoned vegetables, beef, and a fried egg, all mixed with gochujang at the table.
BulgogiThin beef marinated in soy, pear, sesame, and garlic, seared fast and sweet-savory, Korea’s beloved "fire meat."
Hobak-jukA silky, naturally sweet Korean pumpkin porridge thickened with glutinous rice.
Browse all South Korea recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a South Korea meal
SikhyeDrink
HotteokDessert
KimbapLunch
Similar dishes from around the world
Bahamian Stew FishBahamas
MarmitakoSpain
Renga RengaBurundi
Ngai NgaiRepublic of the Congo
Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew)Croatia
Poisson à l'OdikaGabon
Cuisine
Diet
Gluten-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Nut-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Korean Recipes
Gluten-Free Dinners from Around the World
Dairy-Free Dinners from Around the World
Nut-Free Dinners from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)?
Bubbling-hot soft tofu stew, brick-red with gochugaru, finished with an egg cracked in at the table.
Where does Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) come from?
Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) is a Korean dish from Gyeongsang (Busan), South Korea.
Can Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) take to make?
About 35 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 2.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.