This warm & 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.
What is Soondubu Jjigae?
Soondubu Jjigae (순두부찌개), also known as Sundubu Jjigae or soft tofu stew, is a traditional Korean dish made with silky soft uncurdled tofu coated in a spicy and flavorful broth, to be served with a bowl of steamed rice.
As the name suggests, the highlight of this dish is the Soondubu which is fresh, unpressed tofu that has high water content, making up for its extra silky velvety texture.
This type of tofu is incredibly soft and tender which easily soaks in all the flavors while maintaining that melt-in-your-mouth texture that this Korean tofu stew is known for.
Korean soft tofu stew – the ultimate bowl of comfort
Soondubu Jjigae is easily one of my favorite comfort dishes in Korean cuisine.
Nothing beats a warm and savory stew on a cold day and when it is served in a sizzling hot pot served alongside freshly steamed rice, it truly is the ultimate comfort meal with rich flavors to soothe your soul.
Korean soft tofu soup is also very versatile in the way that there are so many variations of the soup, depending on the spice level and ingredients.
Aside from the base of spicy soup and soft tofu, it can include meat, vegetables, and/or seafood depending on your preference.
The Korean tofu soup recipe I am sharing with you today is one that I’ve been developing over many years.
This Sundubu Jjigae recipe pays homage to Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu (also known as BCD) which is an incredibly popular restaurant chain specializing in Soondubu Jjigae, with locations all over the world.
It’s not an understatement to say that BCD has deeply connected me to the taste of home in my university days, and often cured my feelings of homesickness, with their piping hot bowls of Soondubu Jjigae.
As such, I tried my best to replicate the flavors in my own recipe, to create a version that includes all the authentic and delicious flavors, but with a simplified process for you guys to enjoy with ease.
This Korean tofu soup recipe is also completely vegetarian, but please feel free to add any meat or seafood if you prefer. I personally did not find any meat or seafood in this recipe to be necessary, as it is already so intense in flavor.
What do I need to make Soondubu Jjigae?
Contrary to popular belief, Korean tofu stew is incredibly easy to make from scratch. At the beginning of my cooking journey I admit, I often resorted to the instant Soondubu packets to make the base soup.
It wasn’t until however, I started making the dish from start to finish that I realized it was not only it was straightforward to make and tasted significantly more delicious (and healthy) when made with fresh ingredients.
With a handful of ingredients, you can make this delicious tofu stew in less than 15 minutes in a single pot.
Here are all the ingredients you will need:
- Soondubu, or Korean soft tofu. You should be able to easily find this in the Korean supermarket. Soondubu is often sold in a regular square container or in a cylinder shape, but I recommend using the latter (pictured above) as it is easy to handle when making soup.
- If none of these options are available, it’s perfectly fine to use regular soft or silken tofu found in regular grocery stores.
- Water: or low-sodium chicken broth, vegetable broth, dashi, or Korean anchovy stock for more flavor.
- Sesame oil, vegetable oil, onion, green onion: for the aromatics.
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), sugar, garlic, soy sauce, and oyster sauce to make the chili oil base.
- Zucchini, mushrooms, and Korean chili pepper: or other vegetables, kimchi, seafood, or meat. The flavors of this stew are very versatile in that you can add any ingredients to your liking.
- The spicy and savory soup pairs well with practically anything, so you can be creative with this process.
- Some options for garnish include a freshly cracked egg or chopped green onions.
As long as you have these simple ingredients ready to go, the process of making Soondubu Jjigae at home is incredibly simple and made in a single pot where all the ingredients come together. Truly one of the easiest soups you can make!
What is the best pot to make Soondubu Jjigae with?
Any regular saucepan or pot will work with this recipe, but using a Korean stone pot (Dolsot) like this one here is ideal for making soft tofu stew, or any soups/stews for that matter.
It is the ideal cookware for preparing hot dishes as it maintains the hot temperature for the whole duration of your meal.
If you enjoy cooking Korean cuisine, these are great to have in your arsenal as these handly little pots can be used directly on the stovetop and transferred directly to the table for serving, and makes for the best overall experience.
In many cases Korean stone pots are also oven, microwave, and dishwasher-safe, making them one of the most versatile types of cookware to use.
What else can I add to the stew?
This recipe is vegetarian by default, but any meat or seafood can be added to your liking. If you are using ground meat, I recommend adding it after the onion, just until it is browned.
To add seafood to the soup, you can add it along with the tofu as it takes a shorter time to cook. And finally, to add kimchi, I recommend using aged kimchi (fermented for 2+ weeks) shortly after the onion to deepen the flavors of the stew.
One of the best parts of this recipe is that the flavors are versatile enough to pair well with various toppings, so please feel free to be creative and have fun with the process!
I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious Korean soft tofu soup recipe, and please leave me a comment below or message me on Instagram if you have any questions. Happy cooking everyone! x
Other easy Korean recipes you may like:
- Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)
- Korean Braised Potatoes (Gamja Jorim)
- Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Eggs)
- Dakdoritang (Spicy Korean Chicken Stew)
- Dubu Jorim (Korean Braised Tofu)
Easy Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 green onion chopped, divided
- 1/4 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 tbsp each soy sauce, hoisin sauce or oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cups water anchovy stock, dashi, or unsalted chicken stock for more flavor
- 1/4 zucchini diced
- 60 g mushrooms
- 1 package (320 g) Korean soft tofu or regular soft tofu
- 1 egg
- 1 chili pepper chopped, optional
Instructions
- 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!
Notes
♥ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a 5-star rating or leave a comment below to share your experience, or tag @cookerru on Instagram to showcase your creations!
28 comments
Soooo good! Made this with vegetable stock and enoki mushrooms and it turned out amazing. Your recipe was easy to follow and tuned out so flavorful! Thank you for sharing
Awesome! I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe Amanda! 🙂
Thank you Elle – was perfectly delicious! Already planning my next batch.
Delicious! I followed the directions exactly as is and it turned out fantastic. Loved how easy and quick it is to make. I will definitely be making this often.
So glad to hear that! ❤️
I used fish stalk because I could not find anchovy stock for the life of me and it was awesome. Thank you so much for this recipe.
My pleasure Jesamie! Korean anchovy stock can be made easily using these dashi packs: https://amzn.to/3EwW0z0. They are sold in tea-bag form, so you’d just need to add them to boiling water for 5-10 minutes before using it in your soups/stews. I hope that helps!
I made a seafood version and it was so good! Cookerru always with the simple yet delicious recipes!
So happy you enjoyed the recipe Seung! Seafood soondubu is one of my favorites 🙂
so easy and delicious! will be making this regularly.
Really good recipe. Nothing to change. I burned my mouth because I couldn’t wait, LOL! I added seafood as a protein and it was absolutely amazing. Will make again for sure!
This was so good! I couldn’t believe how authentic it tasted? I was surprised, but it settled a harsh craving I had. I will be making again!
Made this for a solo supper tonight. It will NOT be the last time. This was scrumptious! I have a new comfort food. Thank you so much for sharing this!
I’m so glad I found your recipe on tiktok. I already enjoyed Korean food in general but making this made me fall in love! It’s so comforting and flavorful!
wow, this recipe was just so delicious! i have made tofu stew once before following a different recipe, which was just “okay” for me. i didn’t really understand the hype of it, but after eating your recipe, i now understand why everyone loves tofu stew. this was soooo good!!!! it’s very seldom that my mouth waters when i think of a particular meal, so when it does like right now as i’m thinking of it, i know it’s a recipe to be saved and passed on to others! thank you for this absolutely amazing recipe!
I have made this two mornings in a row. I replaced the gochugaru with gochujang paste. the second day I added some grilled lemon salmon I had the day before. I highly recommend using dashi stock but I have not tried it using fish sauce yet. The dashi will have a deeper flavor profile though. I can’t get enough of this Korean style cooking now! I have changed my household menu and switching over to mostly Korean recipes. I’m so glad I found you!
I made this today and it was so good and easy to make. So easy I didn’t need to call my eomeoni for help!
Added shrimp to mine and it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Thank you Elle for always sharing such wonderful recipes!
its soo good! i made it once and now i keep on making it thank you so nuch for sharing elle
A very simple yet delicious recipe. I had bought soft tofu on sale without any real plan and I just so happened to have leftover zucchini and cremini mushrooms from another culinary project. Thus, this dish was clearly meant to be! I used homemade chicken/pork broth. I let the soup simmer for probably twenty minutes (gave me a chance to do dishes) and I really let the egg cook in the soup. I garnished the soup with extra sesame oil and added in some additional salt. Ended up sharing the soup with my husband and enjoyed it with some rice and millet. This soup really delivers, especially given how simple it is. Highly recommend!
Delicious! I prefer a more sour soup, so I halved the oyster sauce. Next time I’ll cut the sugar and see if that’s a bit more sour.
this is quite possibly the best meal I have ever made for myself and will be a weekly staple until I get tired of it, if ever. thank you so much for sharing. glad I found your insta
AMAZING! I’ve made it twice now! My only change is I add the mushrooms when sauteeing the onions and garlic to really get that umami flavor into the broth. YUM! Added some Japanese ramen noodles too for an extra filling serving
Really really delicious. My family ate this up and asked for it to be put into rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
It’s such an easy and tasty recipe. I’ve already made it twice.
Tastes great! I’m so happy I found this recipe. I will definitely be using it again! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Really very easy to do and so tasty!!! I did many times the last one with chicken.
Thank you for sharing !
Excellent taste and I made it a little hotter. Thank you for your recipe.
Terry-Lee