How to Make Sundubu Jjigae

Sundubu jjigae is a fiery, bubbling stew built around uncurdled soft tofu, so soft it barely holds a shape, simmered in a spicy broth with pork or seafood and cracked with a raw egg right before serving. Sundubu means uncurdled or extra soft tofu, and using that specific silken texture rather than firm cubed tofu is what gives the stew its name and its signature texture: the tofu nearly dissolves into the broth instead of holding neat cubes.

It is typically served still boiling in an earthenware pot called a ttukbaegi, which keeps the stew at a rolling simmer at the table well after it leaves the stove. Restaurants specializing in sundubu jjigae are common across Korea and often let diners choose the protein: pork, seafood, or a plain mushroom version.

The chili oil base, made by blooming gochugaru in oil before the liquid goes in, is what gives the broth its deep red color and carries the heat through the whole pot rather than leaving it floating on top.

What Actually Matters: Blooming the Chili in Oil

Cooking the gochugaru briefly in hot oil before adding any liquid is what turns a merely spicy broth into one with real depth and color. The oil extracts flavor and pigment from the chili flakes that water alone cannot pull out. Skip this step and dump the pepper flakes straight into simmering broth, and the stew tastes flatter and looks duller, even with the same amount of chili.

Sundubu Jjigae

Serves 4. Prep 15 minutes, cook 20 minutes, total 35 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
• 1/2 pound pork belly or shoulder, thinly sliced (or shrimp for a seafood version)
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon gochujang
• 3 cups anchovy kelp stock or water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tubes (about 12 ounces each) sundubu (extra soft/silken tofu)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 scallions, sliced
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium low heat. Add the gochugaru and stir constantly for 30 to 45 seconds until it blooms and turns fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
2. Add the pork and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the onion and garlic and cook 2 minutes until softened.
4. Stir in the gochujang, then pour in the stock and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.
5. Spoon the soft tofu directly into the pot in large, rough pieces, breaking it gently as it enters the broth so it stays mostly intact.
6. Simmer another 3 minutes, then crack one egg into each of four small serving pots or directly into the pot in individual sections.
7. Let the egg cook 1 to 2 minutes in the residual heat, until the white just sets but the yolk stays runny.
8. Season with salt to taste, scatter with scallions, and serve boiling hot, ideally still in an earthenware or heavy pot.

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

Estimate calculated from the ingredients above, not lab verified.

Tips and Variations

• Seafood version: use shrimp, clams, and squid in place of the pork for haemul sundubu jjigae.
• Vegetarian version: use vegetable stock, skip the meat, and add mushrooms for body.
• Individual pots: if you own small earthenware ttukbaegi, divide the stew and crack an egg into each for a restaurant style presentation.
• Adjust the heat: reduce the gochugaru and gochujang together if you want a milder version without losing the color from the bloomed oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is sundubu tofu and where do I find it?

It is extra soft, uncurdled tofu sold in shelf stable tubes at most Asian grocery stores, sometimes labeled silken or soft tofu.

Can I use regular firm tofu instead?

You can, but the texture will be closer to a standard tofu soup than true sundubu jjigae, which depends on the very soft, custardy tofu.

Is the egg supposed to be raw?

It is added at the end and gently cooked by the boiling stew's residual heat, so it finishes with a set white and a soft yolk rather than being served fully raw.

Why bloom the chili flakes in oil first?

It draws out color and flavor from the gochugaru that plain simmering in broth cannot, giving the stew its deep red color and fuller taste.

Can I make a seafood or vegetarian version?

Yes, both are common. Swap in shrimp and shellfish, or skip meat and seafood entirely and lean on mushrooms and vegetable stock.

More From Wine Drop Cookery

This recipe is part of our South Korean recipe collection. For more, try Kimchi Jjigae or Samgyeopsal. For the tools, see Kitchen Essentials, Pots, Pans and Cookware, and our full collection index.

Who Is Writing This

I'm Chef Alan. I have spent 35 years in professional kitchens, I have formal culinary education in New Hampshire, and I have been honored as a 6-Time 4-Diamond Chef. More about me here.

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