Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew – Sundubu Jjigae

I’m sure I am not the only one, but there have been too many times where I am watching Korean Drama in the middle of the night, and my mouth is drooling, my stomach and growling, and all I want to do is jump inside the show and take a big bite of the food. 

Welcome to a new series where I cook recipes from my favorite Korean Dramas, and the first recipe comes from my all-time favorite drama, Itaewon Class, and their delicious, savory Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew – Sundubu Jjigae. Spicy and addicting Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew is not only tasty but also super easy to make at home. Get yourself a big bowl of rice and get ready to indulge in Itaewon Class-inspired Sundubu Jjigae this week! 

If you are new to K-drama or have never got into them before, I highly recommend giving Itaewon Class a try!

The plot itself is super refreshing and super motivating, and if you have a passion for entrepreneurship and food, you will love it!

There are three elements I love most about Itaewon Class, Park Seo Joon (duh), inspiring plot, and also the FOOD. It doesn’t help that I usually watch K-drama at night, so whenever Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew makes an appearance, my stomach growls even more. 

If you never tried Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew before, you are missing out! It is the ultimate comfort food and rice killer that is super addicting.

When I first learned how to make Sundubu Jjigae, I made it every day because once you give it a try, you will for sure be craving for more. The best part about making Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew at home is that you can adjust the spice level based on your liking. It is an excellent entry recipe to try at home for first-time home cooks or those that never tried Korean cuisines. 

You can have your Korean Spicy Soft Tofu stew as a vegetarian dish, or you can also pair it with any protein of your liking.

I am using pork belly today, but you can also add in beef or seafood. Traditionally, it is served with anchovy stock, where you can either make the stock from scratch or buy pre-packet anchovy stock bags from your local Korean supermarket.

If you don’t have that in hand or live near a Korean supermarket, you can swap with dashi stock (my personal favorite) or vegetable and chicken stock. 

Do you like Korean food? Here are some of my favorite EASY Korean recipes that you can make at home while watching k-drama! 

• Fried Chicken Bites (EXTRA CRISPY)
• Korean Marinated Eggs – Mayak Gyeran (EASY!)
• Cheesy Potato Pancake (4 Ingredients ONLY!)
• Spinach Salad 2 Ways (Sigumchi Namul)
• Korean Spicy Rice Cake Skewers (5 Ingredients ONLY!)

1. In a pot, drizzle in some oil and turn the heat up to medium-high. Once the pot is hot, add the pork belly and sauce together for 4-5 minutes. 
2. BEEF INSTRUCTIONS: cut the steak into bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Pan-fry the steak for 2-3 minutes or until your preferred doneness. Remove and set aside.
3. Add in Korean red chili flakes, minced garlic, white parts of the green onion, and chopped onion, and saute together for another 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add in soy sauce and stock and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. 
5. After 5 minutes, add shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and silken tofu. Break the tofu slightly with your spoon and let it simmer for another 4-5 minutes. BEEF: add back in the steak before serving
6. Optional, but I highly recommend add-in and egg and garnish with green onion. 

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Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew – Sundubu Jjigae

Welcome to a new series where I cook recipes from my favorite Korean Dramas, and the first recipe comes from my all-time favorite drama, Itaewon Class, and their delicious, savory Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew – Sundubu Jjigae. Spicy and addicting Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew is not only tasty but also super easy to make at home. Get yourself a big bowl of rice and get ready to indulge in Itaewon Class-inspired Sundubu Jjigae this week!

Prep Time5 mins

Active Time20 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Asian, Korean

Keyword: Asian Food, Asian Recipes, Easy, Easy Recipes, Healthy, Korean Food, QUICK RECIPES, Street Food, Tofu, VEGETARIAN

Materials

• 1 pack of Soft/Silken Tofu 12 oz
• ¼ Onion chopped
• 1.5 – 2 tbsp of Korean Red Chili Flakes adjust to your spice tolerance
• 1.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 3 cloves of Garlic minced
• 3 stalks of Green Onion chopped and separated with white and green
• 2.5 oz of Pork Belly sliced and optional
• 2 cups of Anochvy or Dashi stock vegetarian, chicken, or beef stock also works
• 4 Fresh Shiitake Mushroom sliced
• One pack of Enoki Mushrooms
• 1 Egg

Instructions

• In a pot, drizzle in some oil and turn the heat up to medium-high. Once the pot is hot, add the pork belly and sauce together for 4-5 minutes.
  
• BEEF INSTRUCTIONS: cut the steak into bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Pan-fry the steak for 2-3 minutes or until your preferred doneness. Remove and set aside.
• Add in Korean red chili flakes, minced garlic, white parts of the green onion, chopped onion, and saute together for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add in soy sauce and stock and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, add in shiitake mushroom, enoki mushrooms, and also silken tofu. Break the tofu apart slightly with your spoon and let it simmer for another 4-5 minutes
• Optional but highly recommend add-in and egg and garnish with green onion.

Video

Notes

You can have your Korean Spicy Soft Tofu stew as a vegetarian dish, or you can also pair it with any protein of your liking. I am using pork belly today, but you can also add in beef or seafood. Traditionally, it is served with anchovy stock, where you can either make the stock from scratch or buy pre-packet anchovy stock bags from your local Korean supermarket. If you don’t have that in hand or live near a Korean supermarket, you can swap with dashi stock (my personal favorite) or vegetable and chicken stock.