Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)

Sundubu (순두부) literally means 'pure tofu' — it is tofu that has not been pressed or shaped into a block. It is the softest, most custardy form of tofu, with a very high water content and an almost pudding-like texture. Regular silken tofu is slightly firmer and has been set into a block form. Sundubu comes in soft, moist tubes or boxes specifically labelled 'soon tofu' or 'extra soft tofu' at Korean grocery stores. For this dish, sundubu is strongly preferred — it absorbs the broth more readily and provides the characteristic silky texture that gives the dish its name. Firm silken tofu is an acceptable substitute; firm or extra-firm tofu is not appropriate.

Kimchi is a living fermented food — over weeks and months of fermentation, the lactic acid bacteria produce more and more organic acids, dramatically increasing sourness and flavour complexity. In sundubu jjigae, that fermentation acid is what creates the characteristic tangy-sour undertone in the broth. Fresh or young kimchi (less than 2 weeks old) tastes mainly of garlic and gochugaru without the sour depth. The rule in Korean cooking: use old kimchi to cook with, young kimchi to eat fresh alongside. If you only have young kimchi, add a small splash of rice vinegar to the broth to approximate the missing acidity.

Yes. Replace the anchovy-kelp stock with dried mushroom stock (simmer dried shiitake and a piece of dried kelp in water for 20 minutes). Omit the pork belly and replace with extra mushrooms — king oyster mushrooms and shiitake are both excellent. Use soy sauce instead of fish sauce for seasoning. The kimchi must be vegan kimchi (traditional kimchi often contains fermented shrimp — vegan kimchi is made without it). The egg at the end is traditional but optional. Vegetarian sundubu jjigae made with good vegan kimchi, mushroom stock, and kelp is genuinely excellent.

Anchovy-kelp stock (myeolchi-dashima yuksu) is the standard savoury base for most Korean soups and stews. To make it: remove the guts from 10 dried anchovies (flat, small silver-dried fish from Korean markets), combine with a 10 cm piece of dried kelp and 700 ml water, bring to a boil, simmer 10 minutes, and strain. It does not taste strongly of fish — it tastes savoury, clean, and deep. Shortcuts: Korean anchovy stock sachets dissolve in hot water in 1 minute and taste very close to homemade; Korean anchovy soup powder (myeolchi-garu) added to water; or plain water, which works but produces a noticeably thinner-tasting stew.

The egg is added at the very end — some restaurants add it raw at the table — so that its white sets gently in the residual heat of the boiling broth (about 1 to 2 minutes) while the yolk stays completely runny. A runny yolk, broken into the broth and mixed with the tofu and rice, adds richness and rounds the acidity of the kimchi. An egg cooked throughout loses this effect — the white becomes rubbery and the yolk flavour merges into the broth rather than sitting on top of it. The intact egg arriving in the still-bubbling pot is also part of the drama of jjigae service — a presentation as much as a technique.