Sundubu jjigae is a stew made with smooth tofu, or sundubu, also known as silken or extra soft tofu. The stew is more commonly made spicy, but I sometimes like it purely white without any red spiciness for the simple pleasure of savoring the nuttiness of the silky tofu.

You can make white sundubu stew with any broth or add-ins, but my favorite is one made with finely ground perilla seeds (deulkkae). It really gives the creamy tofu distinct nutty flavors!

For the broth, I used a small piece of dashima and 1 dried shiitake mushroom. It really doesn’t take much! Any kind of dried mushrooms or fresh mushrooms will work, but dried mushrooms have more intense flavors for making broth.

This recipe is vegan! If preferred, anchovy or meat/seafood based broth can be used as well.  

It’s quick and easy to whip up a bubbling pot of flavorful stew with a package of sundubu! Not to mention how warm and comforting it is on a cold fall/winter night. 

Ingredients:

1 dried shiitake mushroom (or 2 to 3 any fresh mushroom caps, sliced)

1 small piece dashima (dried kelp)

1 package (350 grams) sundubu (extra soft/silken tofu)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon soup soy sauce

pinch pepper

2 tablespoons finely ground perilla seeds

1 teaspoon perilla oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion


Add the mushroom and dashima to a small pot with 1 cup of water. Let it sit until the dried mushroom is softened. Bring the pot to a boil, and reduce the heat to medium. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the dashima and mushroom. When cool enough to handle, cut the mushroom in half and thinly slice to add back to the pot.

Add the sundubu, garlic, soup soy sauce, and pepper to the pot. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the perilla seeds, and boil for another minute or two. Drizzle the perilla oil over the stew. Add the chopped scallion right before turning the heat off.

For more recipes visit www.koreanbapsang.com.

By Ro Hyo-sun