korean tofu soup

Soondubu jjigae (순두부찌개) is a spicy Korean tofu stew made with freshly curdled soft tofu called soondubu. Add vegetables, your protein of choice, and egg to this Korean tofu soup for a satisfying, delicious meal!

Soondubu Jjigae | Spicy Korean Soft Tofu Soup

tofu (11 ounces; see Note 1)

mushrooms (enoki

sesame oil

sea salt (or

sugar

scallions ((optional) chopped for garnish)

water

kimchi (chopped with juice)

onions (diced)

Korean red pepper flakes

garlic (minced)

vegetable oil

Make soup base

Heat a medium pot or earthenware pot (ttukbaegi) over medium high heat. See Note 3. Add the vegetable oil, kimchi, onions, Korean red pepper flakes, and garlic. Add your choice of protein if using. Stir fry until protein is almost cooked and onions softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Make Soup Base

Add soondubu and stock

Add the soft tofu and gently break it apart. Next pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Taste and season with salt and sugar depending on how salty and fermented your kimchi is. Sugar will balance out sour kimchi.

Add egg and serve

Once boiling, add the mushrooms and crack an egg on top and boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and garnish with green onions. Enjoy!

Add Soondubu and stock

This Korean spicy soft tofu soup is made with silken soft tofu that swims in a bowl filled with sizzling hot and spicy Korean soup broth. This less than 30 minute Korean tofu soup is as deliciously addicting as it is comforting!

Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Soup (Soondubu Jjigae)

11 (30 g) medium to large dried anchovies

5-6 squares (10 g) Dashima (dried kelp) (cut into 2x3 inch squares)

Vegetable oil

onion

garlic (about 3 cloves)

Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)

Anchovy stock (or chicken stock, or vegetable broth)

fish sauce

Korean soy sauce

sea salt (to taste)

sugar (to taste)

pack (12 ounces) Korean soondubu (silken tofu)

eggs

green onion stalks (minced)

Prepare the dried anchovies. Remove the large anchovy guts by opening the belly and scraping them out, but leave the heads on. The guts tend to make the broth bitter, especially with the larger anchovies.

Prepare the and dried kelp (dashima). Gently wipe the dried kelp with a lightly dampened cloth to remove any sand or grit. Make sure to keep the white powder (mannitol) on for added flavor.

Boil and simmer. In a small sauce pan, add the water, dried anchovies and dried kelp. Bring it to a gentle boil, uncovered. Reduce the heat to medium high, and boil for 10 minutes. Then remove the kelp and simmer the anchovies for an additional 10 minutes on low heat. Using a cheesecloth, strain the liquid to remove anchovies and any remaining particles. Set aside.

(Optional) Anchovy Stock

Heat a medium pot or earthenware pot (ttukbaegi) over medium high heat. Add the oil or vegetable oil, onions, and garlic. Stir fry until onions are transluscent and garlic is lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes). Stir to combine about 1 minute.

Add the protein and stir quickly to coat them with the chili flakes. Next, the fish sauce and soy sauce and mix until combined.

Add the anchovy stock or chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil about 3 minutes.

Then, add the soft tofu, mushrooms and egg and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and sugar, if required.

Lastly, top with sesame oil and garnish with green onions. Serve with rice and Korean side dishes. Enjoy!

Spicy Soft Tofu Soup

This warm &amp; comforting Soondubu Jjigae is loaded with velvety soft tofu, vegetables, and mushrooms blanketed in a rich and savory broth. This recipe calls for simple ingredients to make the best soft tofu stew in less than 15 minutes in the comfort of your home.

Easy Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)

tsp sesame oil

green onion (chopped, divided)

onion (diced)

tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)

tbsp each soy sauce, hoisin sauce (or oyster sauce)

tsp sugar

water (anchovy stock, dashi, or unsalted chicken stock

zucchini (diced)

g mushrooms

(320 g) Korean soft tofu (or regular soft tofu)

chili pepper (chopped, optional)

Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a pot over medium heat. Add white parts of green onion and onion and cook until fragrant. Add garlic, gochugaru, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar and mix to combine.

Add water or stock. Once it comes to a boil, add zucchini, mushrooms, and soft tofu. Using a spoon, slice the tofu into large pieces.

Bring to a boil and simmer until the flavors have melded, for about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt to taste, crack an egg, and garnish with green onion and chili pepper if using. Serve with a side of rice and enjoy!

Excellent. I’m allergic to mushrooms so I skip those, and add more gochujaru for spice. One of our faves!

SO GOOD!!! I made this with tonkotsu broth, shittaki mushrooms, zucchini, kimchi, chili pepper, soft tofu, and bean sprouts!! absolutely delicious

I’ve tried more than a few sundubu jigae recipes but this one was the best! So simple and so good. Thank you!

I made this recipe tonight. I wasn't sure what to make for dinner. I added peas, carrots and more yellow onions because I ran out of green onions Onions. It was delicious, very happy with it

Wow, I tried this dish at a restaurant for the first time a couple weeks ago and have been craving it since. Tonight, I followed this recipe exactly and it was amazing!! So easy to follow too, I had to immediately come and write a review. It was as good as the restaurant’s. I used soy sauce, dashi, and enoki mushrooms in my version.

Delicious, and so fast to put together. We had bean sprouts, so we put some in it, along with some kimchi.

This was such a good stew. One of my favorite meals ever. I added more garlic than it calls for because, GARLIC! I also added imitation crab and dried whole shiitake mushroom that I had in the pantry to make it a bit more hearty and it was sublime! 
Did a side of super fermented kimchi with steamed rice to complete the meal. Wow wow wow!

Delicious! Never had this before but saw a post on FB where someone made it and it looked so good I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I found your recipe and tried it. I didn't have Korean chili flakes so used regular chili flakes and forgot to add them until after the water. I didn't have zucchini but added kale added while sauteeing the onions. I didnt have green onion so used exra yellow onion and garlic. I also felt like it should have ginger and a little vinegar so added those as well. Oh, I also added shrimp with the onion, and a little msg on the kale when cooking it down. I didn't have sugar so used my raw honey but waited until the end to try to salvage its benefits. When the stew was done, at first I was so sad that it wasn't red like the picture in your recipe. I suppose because of the regular chili flakes. So I added a little sofrito Still not very red. I was afraid it wouldn't be flavorful. But OH my goodness! It was so delicious!!!! I am so happy and so full! I should have enough for another serving tomorrow! Thank you!!!!

I’ve tried this a couple of times, and it’s so delicious and easy to make! Just wanted to clarify on the recipe card - it says “1 tbsp each soy sauce, hoisin sauce or oyster sauce” in the ingredients list, but the instructions say to add “soy sauce, oyster sauce..” - does this mean I should add 1 tbsp soy sauce AND 1 tbsp oyster sauce? Thanks so much!

Omg, why had I never heard of this before?! Made this and am devouring it as we speak. Especially good with kimchi on top. Thank you for the recipe!

My mom passed when I was younger, so I didn't get to adopt her recipe, but I am so glad I found this. It's so simple and flavorful and makes me feel at home.

Absolutely delicious and easy to make. Perfect! I added kimchi at the end. Next time will try adding beef or shrimp.

So good, happy to be able to make my favorite from Busan at home

My girlfriend loved this so much, she started ovulating immediately. Very good for the hormones.

So easy! Wonderful and tasty for lunch. Helped with my period cramps

This recipe turns out perfectly every time, it’s so delicious! I always add about 1/4 cup per serving of kimchi like the notes suggest.

Good recipe, too bad at cooking to execute

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