SoonDuBu Jjigae, Spicy Soft Tofu Stew
순두부 찌개
Soondubu jjigae, or Spicy Soft Tofu Stew, is a delicious and hearty stew. A robust and flavorful combination of meat, seafood, vegetables and the spicy seasoning is beautifully contrasted by the softness of soondubu ("extra soft tofu"). Soondubu can easily be a complete meal when served with a bowl of rice.
Although the recipe may work with regular tofu, authentic soondubu jjigae must include extra soft tofu. You can also make variations by using different types of meat, or only seafood. You can also add kimchi for kimchi soondubu jjigae.
Buy Korean ingredients online here.
Soondubu jjigae, or Spicy Soft Tofu Stew, is a delicious and hearty stew. A robust and flavorful combination of meat, seafood, vegetables and the spicy seasoning is beautifully contrasted by the softness of soondubu ("extra soft tofu"). Soondubu can easily be a complete meal when served with a bowl of rice.
Although the recipe may work with regular tofu, authentic soondubu jjigae must include extra soft tofu. You can also make variations by using different types of meat, or only seafood. You can also add kimchi for kimchi soondubu jjigae.
Buy Korean ingredients online here.
INGREDIENTS
shop these ingredients online »| 12 oz | Tofu, Extra Soft (SoonDuBu) 순두부 | |
| 2 oz | Beef (cubed for stew) 국거리소고기 | |
| 2 oz | Shrimp 새우 (optional) | |
| 2 oz | Clam 조개살 (optional) | |
| 2 oz | Squid 오징어 (optional) | |
| ½ | Onion (Medium) 양파 | |
| ½ | Zucchini, Korean (Grey Squash) 애호박 | |
| 1 | Green Onion 파 | |
| 1 | Green Chili Pepper 풋고추 | |
| 1 | Red Chili Pepper 붉은 고추 (optional) | |
| 1 tbs | Garlic (minced) 다진 마늘 | |
| 3 tbs | Gochugaru, Korean Hot Pepper Flakes 고춧가루 | |
| 2 tbs | Sesame Oil 참기름 | |
| 1½ tsp | Salt 소금 | |
| pinch | Black Pepper 후추 | |
| 1½ cups | Water 물 | |
| 10 | Anchovy (dried) 멸치 | |
| 1 | Egg 계란 (optional) | |
| 1 oz | Enochi Mushroom 팽이버섯 (optional) |
Optional Ingredients and Substitutions
Shrimp, Squid, Clam: You can make with just beef if you don't like seafood. You should increase the amount of beef for richer broth, or use a can of beef stock on top of beef cubes.
Red and Green Chili Pepper: Although these add a nice kick to the stew and serve as a beautiful garnish, you can get away with leaving them out.
Enochi Mushroom: nice to have as a garnish but not necessary.
Egg: can be omitted.
Good to know
If you use beef stock or anchovy stock instead of water, it will be even better.
More questions? Please leave your questions below in the comments section. We will do our best to answer as soon as we can.
instructions |
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summary |
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Ingredient amounts in the recipe instructions are for the default serving size. |
Click to enlarge photos. |
Ingredient amounts in the recipe summary are for the default serving size. |
1. Wash clamsIf you have live clams, leave them in salt water (1 tbs of coarse salt + 4 cups of water) for 2-4 hours in a dark place, so that they spit out sand. Then, rinse and drain before cooking. If you are using frozen clams, you can use them as they are. Alternatively, you can thaw them in salt water, wash and drain (if you are worried about cleanliness. |
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1
Live clams,
Wash & drain |
2. Cut ingredientsDice vegetables and cut beef into small pieces. Chop 1 green onion, 1 green chili pepper, 1 red chili pepper |
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2
Dice
Chop
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3. Cook beefPreheat a pot on low heat for a minute. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 50g of beef and 3 tablespoons of gochugaru (red chili flakes) and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. (If you want medium spiciness, use 2 tbs of red chili flakes instead.) |
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3
preheat a pot Low Heat Add
cook Med Heat |
4. Cook vegetablesAdd onion and zucchini and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook for 3 minutes. If vegetables stick to the bottom, add a little bit of sesame oil or water. |
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4
Add
Season
Cook |
5. Add waterAdd 1½ cups of water (for a richer broth, add 10 anchovies in a net to the water or use beef stock instead) and 1 tablespoon of garlic. Bring to boil on high heat. |
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5
Add
Bring to boil High Heat |
6. Add shrimp and squidAdd 50g shrimp and 50 g of squid. Boil with lid for 5 minutes on high heat. |
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6
Add
Boil with lid High Heat |
7. Add clamsIf you want to use a stone bowl to serve, wet and preheat a stone bowl on low heat for a couple of minutes. Transfer everything into a stone bowl and place on high heat. (*You can cook in a stone bowl from the beginning but this way the rim of the bowl doesn’t get messy.) Taste and season. If it is too salty, add some water. If it’s not salty enough, add more salt. Add 5-10 live clams with shells or 50g of frozen clams (optional). |
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7
Transfer into a stone bowl Taste & season Add clams (optional) |
8. Add tofuAdd 1 pack (about 350g) of extra soft tofu. Cook for 5-10 minutes on high heat or until clams and tofu are cooked. Try not to stir too much at this point as tofu is very delicate. If you are using live clams, they are fully cooked when they open up. If you used anchovies, remove the anchovy net. |
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8
Add
Boil with lid High Heat Remove anchovy net |
9. Serve and garnishAdd a pinch of black pepper. Garnish with 30g of Enochi mushrooms(optional), chopped green onions, red and green chili peppers(optional) on top. |
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9
Add
Top with
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10. Add an eggCrack an egg on top just before eating. Enjoy. |
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10
Add an egg (optional) Enjoy |
240 min
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