Korean Main

Sundubu-jjigae

Sundubu-jjigae is a fiery Korean soft-tofu stew with pork, clams and egg in a red chilli broth. This version uses measured ingredients, clear visual cues and the traditional flavour balance that makes the dish distinctive.

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15 minsPrep time
22 minsCook time
Serves 4Servings
EasyDifficulty
Sundubu-jjigae
About this dish

Sundubu-jjigae: the story on the plate

Sundubu-jjigae is a Korean main with a clear sense of place. Sundubu-jjigae centres on unpressed, exceptionally soft tofu. Restaurants often serve it in earthenware pots at a vigorous boil, with variations built around seafood, pork, beef or mushrooms. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Historical background

Sundubu-jjigae centres on unpressed, exceptionally soft tofu. Restaurants often serve it in earthenware pots at a vigorous boil, with variations built around seafood, pork, beef or mushrooms.

Why it is famous

The contrast between aggressive bubbling broth and delicate tofu is central to the dish, and the raw egg added at the end allows the diner to choose how set the yolk becomes.

Cultural significance

The contrast between aggressive bubbling broth and delicate tofu is central to the dish, and the raw egg added at the end allows the diner to choose how set the yolk becomes.

Nutrition

Estimated nutrition per serving

These figures are estimates per serving. Actual nutrition can vary with the brands and exact amounts you use, how much oil, dressing or sauce is absorbed, any substitutions or added extras, and the portion size served.

A practical guide for comparing recipes and planning meals.

390Calories
30gProtein
18gCarbs
23gFat
Ingredients

What you need

  • 700 extra-soft Korean tofu
  • 180 pork mince
  • 300 small clams, scrubbed
  • 100 onion, finely chopped
  • 12 Garlic, grated
  • 2 gochugaru
  • 10 toasted sesame oil
  • 10 neutral oil
  • 750 anchovy-kelp stock
  • 15 soy sauce
  • 10 fish sauce
  • 4 eggs
  • 50 Spring onions, sliced
Method

Step-by-step method

Follow the recipe in order, tasting and adjusting seasoning where needed.

  1. Heat the neutral and sesame oils in a saucepan or four small earthenware pots. Add onion and pork and cook for 4 minutes until the pork loses its raw colour and begins to brown.
  2. Lower the heat, add garlic and gochugaru and stir for only 20–30 seconds. The chilli should bloom red in the oil but must not scorch, which would make the stew bitter.
  3. Pour in the stock, soy sauce and fish sauce. Bring to a steady boil, add the clams and cook until they start opening, discarding any that remain closed after several minutes.
  4. Spoon the soft tofu into the bubbling broth in large rough pieces rather than cutting it into precise cubes. Simmer for 5 minutes so the tofu warms without disintegrating.
  5. Crack one egg into each serving pot, or four eggs spaced across a large pot. Simmer just until the whites set around the edges while the yolks remain soft.
  6. Finish with spring onion and serve immediately with rice. Warn diners that earthenware pots continue bubbling after they leave the stove.
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Tips, storage and serving advice

Shopping tips

Buy Korean gochujang, gochugaru and doenjang from a Korean grocer where possible. Use short-grain rice rather than long-grain rice, and choose well-fermented kimchi for cooked dishes. Check labels on compound ingredients such as sauces, spice blends, stocks, kimchi, fermented pastes and prepared breads when cooking for allergies.

Ingredient quality

For Sundubu-jjigae, prioritise fresh or properly stored versions of extra-soft Korean tofu, pork mince, small clams, onion; speciality seasonings should smell vivid rather than stale.

Common mistakes

Burnt gochugaru turns bitter; stirring after adding tofu breaks it down; cooking the egg hard removes the creamy finish.

Chef’s tips

Bloom chilli powder in oil very briefly and have the stock ready to add immediately.

How to know it is cooked

Clams are open, pork is cooked, tofu is hot through and the egg white is set while the yolk still trembles.

Plating advice

Serve in black stoneware with the egg centred and spring onion bright against the red broth.

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