Sundubu-jjigae

The story

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.

Ingredients

• 700 g extra-soft Korean tofu
• 180 g pork mince
• 300 g small clamsscrubbed
• 100 g onionfinely chopped
• 12 g Garlicgrated
• 2 tbsp gochugaru
• 10 ml toasted sesame oil
• 10 ml neutral oil
• 750 ml anchovy-kelp stock
• 15 ml soy sauce
• 10 ml fish sauce
• 4 piece eggs
• 50 g Spring onionssliced

Method

1. Heat the neutral and sesame oils in

   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.

   Look for: the pork loses its raw colour and begins to brown Tip: Bloom chilli powder in oil very briefly and have the stock ready to add immediately. Avoid: Burnt gochugaru turns bitter; stirring after adding tofu breaks it down; cooking the egg hard removes the creamy finish.

2. Lower the heat, add garlic and gochugaru

   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

   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.

   Look for: they start opening, discarding any that remain closed after several minutes

4. Spoon the soft tofu into the bubbling

   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,

   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.

   Look for: the whites set around the edges while the yolks remain soft

6. Finish with spring onion and serve immediately

   Finish with spring onion and serve immediately with rice. Warn diners that earthenware pots continue bubbling after they leave the stove.

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

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.