Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-quart ttukbaegi (Korean earthenware pot) or small heavy saucepan
• •Small strainer or slotted spoon
• •Wooden trivet for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   If you do not already have broth, put 2 1/4 cups water, the kelp, and the cleaned anchovies in a small pot. Bring it just to a simmer, pull the kelp out, then simmer the anchovies 8 minutes more and strain. You need 2 cups. Pulling the kelp early keeps the broth clean instead of slick and bitter.

   Stock is the safe weeknight shortcut. Use unsalted chicken stock if you must, but do not use a salty bouillon cube, because the kimchi, soy sauce, and fish sauce need room.
2. 2

   Bloom the chili

   Set a 1-quart ttukbaegi or small heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the oil and pork and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the pork gives up some fat and loses its raw color. Add the kimchi and cook 2 minutes more. Turn the heat low, add the gochugaru and garlic, and stir for 30 seconds only. The oil should turn red and glossy. If the chili darkens toward brown, the heat is too high and the stew will taste scorched.

   This is the step people skip. Gochugaru needs oil and gentle heat to open its color and flavor; dropped straight into water, it tastes thin.
3. 3

   Build the stew

   Pour in the 2 cups broth, then add the kimchi brine, soup soy sauce, fish sauce if using, onion, and zucchini. Raise the heat to medium and simmer 6 to 7 minutes, until the onion softens and the zucchini is tender at the edge but not collapsing. Taste the broth now. It should be savory, lightly sour, and a little saltier than soup, because the tofu will quiet it.

4. 4

   Slide in tofu

   Open the sundubu package and slide the tofu into the pot in large pieces. Use a spoon to break it into 4 or 5 big curds, not small bits. Simmer 3 minutes, spooning broth over the top instead of stirring through it. Soft tofu is the reason for the dish; treat it roughly and all you have is red soup with crumbs.

5. 5

   Finish with egg

   Scatter the scallion and sliced chili over the top. Crack the egg into the center and simmer 30 to 60 seconds, just until the white begins to set at the edges and the yolk is still loose. Add sesame oil and black pepper if you like. Carry the pot straight to the table on a trivet, with rice waiting.

   If serving children or anyone who should avoid runny egg, cover the pot and cook 2 minutes, until the yolk sets. It is still sundubu-jjigae; the table decides what bodies need.

Chef Tips

• •Buy soft tofu labeled sundubu or extra-soft silken tofu. Firm tofu can make a good jjigae, but not this one. Sundubu should slump when opened and hold only in large curds.
• •Use older kimchi, not fresh kimchi. The sourness gives the broth its backbone. If your kimchi is young, add 1 teaspoon rice vinegar with the broth, not more gochugaru.
• •For a seafood version, leave out the pork and add 6 small clams or 80g shrimp with the tofu. Clams season the broth quickly, so taste before adding fish sauce.
• •A ttukbaegi keeps the stew hot at the table, but a small heavy saucepan works. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too. The vessel can change; the gentle handling of the tofu cannot.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the anchovy-kelp broth up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. With broth ready, the stew comes together in about 20 minutes.
• •Chop the pork, kimchi, onion, zucchini, scallion, and chili up to 1 day ahead and keep them refrigerated in separate containers. Open the tofu only when cooking.
• •This stew is best eaten as soon as it is made. Leftovers can be refrigerated for 1 day, but reheat gently and expect the tofu to break.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)