Sundubu-jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew with Pork)
A steaming, one-bowl Korean stew built on silken tofu, quick homemade anchovy–kelp stock, spicy gochugaru and tender pork — hearty enough for a whole meal and ready in about 35 minutes.
35 min
start to finish
15 min
hands on
Some skill
difficulty
4
servings
Ingredients
For the stock
Contains soy, fish. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.
Roughly, per serving
380 kcal30g protein12g carbs22g fat
An estimate, not a lab analysis.
Method
Make a quick stock: combine water, dried anchovies (heads removed) and kelp in a medium pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
Use a pot large enough to hold the stew ingredients later.
Simmer the stock gently, uncovered.
Keep it at a low simmer to draw flavor without clouding the stock.
Remove the anchovies and kelp from the pot and discard them.
Heat the neutral oil in a separate medium pot or heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Add the sliced pork to the hot pot and cook until just starting to brown.
Add the sliced onion, white parts of the green onion, mushrooms and zucchini, and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften.
Stir in the minced garlic, gochugaru and gochujang until everything is evenly coated and fragrant.
Stir constantly for about 30–60 seconds so the chili doesn't burn.
Carefully pour the hot anchovy–kelp stock into the pot with the pork and vegetables and bring to a simmer.
Simmer the stew until the pork is tender and the flavors have come together.
Adjust the heat so the pot stays at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil.
Break the silken tofu into large spoonfuls and gently add them to the simmering stew.
Handle the tofu gently so it stays in chunky pieces rather than dissolving.
Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar, then taste and add salt as needed.
If using, crack an egg on top of each serving (or into the pot) and let sit until the white is set but the yolk remains runny.
Scatter the green parts of the green onion over the stew and serve immediately in bowls with rice alongside.
Worth knowing
- If you don't have dried anchovies and kelp, substitute 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock; the profile will be different but still delicious.
- Remove anchovy guts (the dark intestine) before simmering if you want a cleaner stock.
- To make a seafood version, substitute small clams or mussels for pork; add them in the last 5 minutes of simmering to avoid overcooking.
- Serve sundubu-jjigae bubbling hot in an earthenware pot if you have one; it keeps the stew hotter at the table.
Make it yours
Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.
One panQuickHigh protein
Watch someone make it
A different recipe for the same dish, by a cook who has spent years on it.
More Korean cooking
An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Korean cooking, not any restaurant's recipe.