Sundubu jjigae
Spicy Korean soft-tofu stew with silken tofu, kimchi, clams and prawns — silky, warming and full of umami.
Sundubu jjigae is the Korean answer to comfort food: fiery, silky and ridiculously satisfying. This version uses a simple anchovy–kelp stock for depth, then piles in kimchi, soft silken tofu, clams and prawns for proper umami.
Ideal for a blustery evening or when you need something hot and restorative. Serve it straight from the pot with plain steamed rice and a few banchan if you like — it’s built to be shared and spooned into bowls while it’s still bubbling.
Ingredients
- 400 g soft silken tofu
- 5 g dried kelp
- 20 g dried anchovies
- 900 ml water
- 15 ml vegetable oil
- 10 ml sesame oil — total (for cooking and finishing)
- 1 brown onion — medium
- 4 garlic cloves
- 15 g gochugaru — Korean chilli flakes
- 20 g gochujang — 1 tbsp
- 150 g kimchi — roughly chopped
- 150 g chestnut mushrooms — sliced
- 200 g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
- 400 g clams in shell, scrubbed
- 15 ml soy sauce — 1 tbsp
- 5 ml fish sauce — 1 tsp
- 5 g caster sugar — 1 tsp
- 5 g sea salt — start with 1/2 tsp, adjust to taste
- ground black pepper — to taste
- 2 spring onions — thinly sliced
- 4 eggs — one per serving, optional
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- lidded casserole or deep frying pan
- fine sieve
- wooden spoon
Instructions
Make a simple stock: put water, dried kelp and dried anchovies into a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. When simmering, turn the heat down slightly and let it simmer with the kelp for 10 minutes.
After removing the kelp, continue to simmer the stock for a further 10 minutes, then strain into a jug and discard solids. Keep the hot stock to one side.
While the stock simmers, prepare the aromatics and veg: thinly slice the brown onion, slice the chestnut mushrooms, finely chop the garlic cloves and roughly chop the kimchi.
Heat the vegetable oil and 5 ml of the sesame oil in a lidded casserole or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and brown onion and sauté until the onion softens, 3–4 minutes.
Add the kimchi, gochugaru and gochujang and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and the chilli looks glossy—this blooms the spice.
Pour in the hot stock, add soy sauce, fish sauce and caster sugar, then add the chestnut mushrooms. Bring back to a gentle simmer.
Gently add large spoonfuls of the soft silken tofu into the simmering stew (do not break it into tiny pieces), then add the raw prawns and clams. Cover and simmer gently until the clams open and the prawns turn pink, about 5–6 minutes. Discard any clams that remain closed.
Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and ground black pepper. If it needs more heat, add a pinch more gochugaru.
Reduce the heat to low, crack the eggs into the stew (one per serving) and cook, uncovered, for 1–2 minutes until the whites are just set but yolks remain runny. Scatter spring onions and drizzle the remaining sesame oil over the top. Serve piping hot.
Tips
- If you can’t find dried anchovies, substitute with 900 ml good-quality vegetable stock but expect a milder, less oceanic flavour.
- Handle the silken tofu very gently: spoon it in large pieces rather than stirring to preserve the soft texture.
- Scrub clams well and discard any that are cracked before cooking; any that do not open in the pot must be thrown away.
- Make the stock ahead and refrigerate for up to 24 hours — it improves depth. Reheat until steaming before adding to the stew.
- If you prefer one-pot cooking, use a lidded earthenware pot or heavy casserole to retain heat and keep the stew hot at the table.
Substitutions
raw prawns, peeled and deveined → sliced pork belly 200 g
Noticeably differentdried anchovies → good-quality vegetable stock 900 ml
Noticeably differentsoy sauce → gluten-free tamari same quantity
Stays closesoft silken tofu → very soft tofu (silken-style) same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 290
- Calories
- 32 g
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 1200 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian?
Use vegetable stock instead of anchovy and omit fish sauce; add extra mushrooms or firm tofu for body. It will be tasty but miss the oceanic depth from shellfish and anchovy.
How do I stop the tofu from disintegrating?
Spoon the silken tofu in gently as large pieces and avoid vigorous stirring. Break it into big chunks with the back of a spoon only at the end if needed.
Can I make this milder?
Reduce the gochugaru to 1 tbsp and omit or halve the gochujang. Adding a little extra soy sauce or sugar helps balance reduced heat.
How long will leftovers keep?
Chill in an airtight container and keep for up to 2 days. Reheat gently on the hob; the tofu will firm up slightly but the stew will still be delicious.
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