Ingredients:
- 12 dried anchovies
- 1/3 cup of kelp, half onion, 5 cloves of garlic, 3 shiitake mushrooms
- 100 grams of beef, 1 cup of mixed seafood, 3 shrimp
- 2 green onions, 1 green chili pepper
- 2-5 tbs of hot pepper flakes
- olive oil, sesame oil, 2 tubes of soon du bu
- 2 tbs of fish sauce, and 2 eggs
Prepare stock to make tasty Soon du bu:
- Pour 5 cups of water into a pot and add 12 dried anchovies after removing intestine part.
- Add half onion, some dried kelp (about 1/3 cup), 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, 5 cloves of garlic and boil it over high heat.
- Approximately 10 minutes later, lower the heat to low medium heat and boil it for another 20 minutes.
- Set aside the stock and take out the mushrooms and chop them into small pieces.
- Heat your earthen ware (or ceramic pot) on the stove and put 2 ts of olive oil.
- Chop 100 grams of beef and put it into the pot and stir it.
- Add the chopped shiitake mushroom and stir it.
- Add 2 tbs – 5 tbs (1/4 cup) of hot pepper flakes and keep stirring for 1 minute.
*tip:
2 tbs—mild
3 tbs—medium
4 tbs—hot
5 tbs (1/4 cup)—suicidal hot ! : ) - Pour 2 cups of the stock you made. It will be sizzling. Don’t be afraid! It’s just TOFU stew! : )
- Add 1 cup of mixed seafood and 3 shirimp.
- Add 2 tbs of fish sauce.
- Cut the 2 tubes of Soon du bu (soft Tofu) in half and squeeze it out into the pot and break the tofu with a spoon several times in the pot.
- When it boils, add 2 chopped green onions and 1 green chili pepper.
- Crack eggs and drizzle some sesame oil before serving.
Enjoy it!
I just tried this yesterday and it was amazing! I like the kick of spicyiness (I think it was the green pepper). For the kelp, can we instead replace that with dried/chopped up seaweed? The one I bought, the texture was a bit rough.
which seaweed? You mean laver? http://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/kim If so, no no no! If you don’t have dried kelp, just skip it.
I’ve made this several times now. With scallops, with beef, with kimchi. My favorite was with ground beef and kimchi. If you use kimchi – make sure to adjust the amount of KochuKaru! I have very potent KochuKaru and never need the 3-5 tablespoons – AiYaaaa!!!
The most important part is the broth. If you have the tasty broth, you can add all kinds of ingredients to the soup. Also, If you don’t have fish sauce, don’t forget you need another source of salt – like soy sauce or sea salt.
AiYaaaa!! lol
“The most important part is the broth.” I’m with you! : )
Maangchi,
Thank you so much for this video and recipe. I have been looking for a soondubu recipe for a while now and this one is easy and tastes wonderful. My mother, who is Korean, also agrees! We had fun making it this past holiday, as well as the kalbi jim (one of my favorite dishes). She and I both thank you for putting this site together and teaching us your way of making these dishes.
Kamsahamneeda!
Sarah
Sarah, thank you very much!
It sounds like you were having fun with your mom while cooking!
Happy Cooking!
I want to make this, but I bought small anchovies. Can I use these and if so how many do I need? Thanks!
maybe 1/2 cup of small anchovies?
Hey maangchi! I was wondering if I could use pork belly instead of the beef with shrimp. Would that taste good? Beef is pretty expensive here and hard to find.
yes, pork belly sounds fantastic! : ) When you go to a soondubujjigae restaurant, you can choose your favorite style: pork, seafood, beef, kimchi…
This looks so delicious! I finally saw a chance to go to the korean store in Rotterdam last Friday, and I bought ingredients for this soondubu jjigae. I can’t wait to try it out.
I can’t wait to hear the feedback from you! : )
Hmm…. it was so delicious! I will definitely make this again! Thank you so much!
I didn’t have shiitake so I added regular mushrooms to the soup. I also didn’t add the beef and added more shrimp instead, although I might try the beef next time. Your recipe called for 2-5 tbsp of hot pepper flakes… but I found 1 tbsp quite spicy! Koreans sure like hot food!
hi maangchi,
I have a quick question. do i need to use the ceramic pot? cause i cant find it here. :( and its there any difference if i just use normal pot?
You can use a usual pot.
Thanks for the quick response! gonna try to cook it tonight
Dear Maangchi,
I made Soondubu last night. I’m an experienced cook but not with Korean food. It was great!!! My wife (she’s limited to chopping and washing in our family) loved it.
We have been cutting down on our meat intake recently, so I decided to try it without the priming beef. I did cheat and use a bit of beef stock when cooking the mushrooms. It turned out well, though if I omit the beef next time I’ll add some extra mushrooms to lend it some more lost “meatiness.”
I’m thrilled I came across your site–the videos are SO helpful!–and will try my hand at more recipes this winter.
thanks!
Good news! Thank you!
Maangchi,
Thank you so very much for this wonderful recipe. I just made a pot of it for lunch and it was gone in a blink. I didn’t even have a chance to take a picture! It is such a great lunch for a cold and grey day. Once again, thank you!
Dawn
Dawn,
next time don’t forget to take a photo to email me! : )
Where can I find the old style earthenware kimchee pot?
http://www.koamart.com/shop/48-asian_cookware.asp you can buy earthenware bowl here if you live in the US.
Hi Maangchi,
I’ve made your soon dubu twice and it’s so easy and sooo delicious. Here’s how mine turned out:
http://noodlefever.blogspot.com/2009/11/spice-girl-pork-and-mushroom-soon-dubu.html
Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful recipes! :)
–kt
You are such a great cook! I left a comment on your website.
Thank you very much!
thanks for the comment. i’m so flattered that you think it looks yummy! i love all your videos. :)
–kt
Hi Maangchi!
I’m from Chicago and I love Korean food. I went to my local Korean market picked up the ingredients, I just made it and I’m eating it right now and it is sooo good! Thank you the recipe you are awesome ^_^!
Thank you very much for letting me know about your delicious soondubujjigae even though you are busy eating! : )
I am so glad to found this website!!! i’m trying out your recipes one by one. Thank youuuuu so much :)!!!! now onto my question: I didn’t realize that you need to use dried shiitake mushroom for making the stock for the soft tofu stew…so i bought fresh shiitake mushroom instead :(… Would using fresh shiitake mushroom work for the stock? Can i still add it (i looove mushrooms) to the whole dish? thanks again!
Kay,
Dried shiitake mushrooms are usually used to make good stock, so add your fresh shiitake mushrooms at the step 7 in the recipe. # Add the chopped shiitake mushroom and stir it.
OMG, Maagnchi
Thanks so much for making this video. I am Chinese and loves Korean food to death, and I have been wandering around looking for recipes here and there. I am very happy to find your site which not only have recipes that are authentic and in languages I can understand, but also holds videos. You are awesome!!!
Thanks a lot! Happy Cooking!
Thank you for the video recipe! I will have to try it.
I’m going to try all of your recipes. I love Korean food :)
Soon Dubu jjigae is my favorite and also the first Korean dish I’ve ever eaten.
Welcome to Korean cooking! : )
How about making soondubu jjigae first because you know what it’s supposed to taste like.
Thanks Maangchi for this recipe. I’ve been trying to perfect my soon dubu recipe and your recipe came the closest. I added Kim-chee to the recipe and it came out really good and spicy. Just added it after I added the beef. Thanks again.
You are such a smart cook! : )
I appreciate your website and videos!
I am an adopted Korean and have been wanting to watch videos but I do not know enough Korean.
You speak English the whole time in your videos….Thank you!!!!
I made one of my boyfriend’s favorite dishes and he loved it.
Thanks again!
Welcome to my website! You can email me the photo of the dishes that you made if you want. I like to see it! Thank you!
Do you have a receipe for kong nam mul?
Here is the recipe for Kong namul :)
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-chigae-kongnamool
Hi Kim,
Maangchi is on holiday :)
I know the recipy is included in her Kimchi Jjigae video:
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-chigae-kongnamool
Maangchi:
I must be your worst student with a million questions.
Firstly, I made the soft tofu stew and it was delicious. You are right – homemade is better than the restaurants. I did add 3/4 teaspoon salt to the soup though. I doubled the recipe and made enough to last 3 dinners and a lunch.
My question is the earthen bowl. What is the hottest temperature on an electric stove can you heat up the earten bowl? My first experience cooking with the earthen bowl (of course, making the tofu stew), the electric burner sparked and burnt out. I was afraid that the earthen bowl was damaged, but only a tiny piece from the outside burnt off, but is still usable. We had to replace the electrical burner because the burner died.
Secondly, when I first purchased the earthen bowl from a Korean store, I was told to treat the bowl by boiling salted water for 30 minutes before using. After that, dump out the salted water, rinse and dry, the earthen bowl should last a very long time as long as you don’t put any cold liquid in a hot earthen bowl and vice versa.
Thirdly, I have some leftover unused stock that is in the freezer right now for my next tofu stew dish. What other uses can you use extra stock for?
Thanks for anwering my questions.
: ) no,I’m sure many people have the same questions as you do.
The answer is here:
http://www.maangchi.com/kitchenware/earthenware-bowl
http://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/dolsot-problems-help
The leftover stock could be used for many Korean dishes such as doenjangjjigae, mandu soup, ddukbokkie, mulkimchi, maeuntang…
Will the stew taste good if I omit the beef? …or can I use lean ground turkey? I’m planning to make this next week.
I think it will still be delicious as long as you use good stock. Ground turkey sounds good to me.
I’m not sure if I purchased the wrong hot pepper powder for the tofu stew recipe. The package is labeled, “Hot Pepper Powder – Coarse.” Because it says “Coarse” is it the wrong one to buy for the tofu stew?
: ) yeah,it must be wrong translation. You can use either hotpepper flakes or hot pepper powder for the dish.
Hot pepper powder is usually used to make hot pepper paste or hot sauce, and hot pepper flakes are for usual korean food such as kimchi making. I use hot pepper flakes.
What can you do with leftover stock?
hi maanchi! i wanted to learn korean foods coz i have clients here in the philippines who are koreans, i always brought them in a restaurant and its pretty expensive. now, that i found your website, im really happy coz i will learn korean foods and i dont need to bring them in a restaurant. i will cook all the foods you cooked. thanks! keep it up!
Your Korean clients are very lucky to have a friend like you!
Hey Maangchi. I made this dish EXACTLY following your rules and it turned out great. The stock tasted really good and I used your 3-crab fish sauce! haha. Thanks for the great recipe!! (It took like an hour to cook though.. I need to practice practice practice!
You are my A+ student! : )
i cant find tofu in tube here..can i use other types of tofu instead??
THANKS
You could use silken tofu (soft tofu).
Maangchi,
I’ve been trying to perfect this recipe for a couple years now, trying various recipes from different websites. I tried your recipe and it was just like my favorite restaurants! Thank you!
My boyfriend’s favorite is the Kimchi Jigae, so I’m trying that recipe next. I’m so glad I found this site!
Thank you very much! I hope you like my kimchi stew recipe, too. You can modify the amount of ingredients to your taste.
i made it! ahh but i put too much stock…
its more like a soup now..- -;;
also not enough salt… so i added soy sauce..
maangchi? the mushroom became super hard after the stew was done..?
Did i cook too long? or not enough?
oh, your shiitake mushrooms must be dried too hard. Soak them in warm water for hours until they get soft, and then put them into the stock to boil.
Hi Maangchi
Thanks for the great recipe!
I was wondering how many grams is one tube of the soon do bu
when i went to korean grocery store, they only had the square packed!
Hi Maagnchi!,
i had one question, can i use gochujang instead of hot pepper flakes when making this dish?
I always use hot pepper flakes in soondubu jjigae. The flavor of hot pepper paste will stand out too much. I think your next soondubu jjigae will turn out delicious because you know what you are supposed to do.
Maangchi, thank you sooo much for your incredible recipes, and having those videos up makes it so much easier to follow! I have been addicted to the Korean Ginseng Chicken soup and the Soon Dubu, and it was great happiness to find the recipes here. THANK YOU!!
came across you’re youtube videos today….thanks for all of the recipes. i had friends over for bulgogi tonight, with the nurmerous banchan sides. was a success. thanks again, you are awesome, and entertaining to boot.
Yay!! Congratulation on your successful Korean cooking!
Hi maangchi,
i was wondering if there was a website you get your earthenware pots from, ive been really wanting to try this recipe but i want all the right stuff! :]
I don’t know.Where are you living?
Please leave your question here.
http://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/general-discussion
Thanks so much for putting this site together! My mom is allergic to anchovies, so what can I use to substitute anchovies? I hope there is something other than anchovies to take a good stock! Thank you.
You could use a can of chicken broth or make stock using dried kelp and shiitake mushrooms.
hello maangchi!
i am harley from auckland and i love korean food!i love your website!i’ve been following it religiously ever since i found it a few months ago…this is one of my most favourite korean dish ever and i tried making this and your potato side dish (the one with soy sauce) today!the soft tofu stew was yummy!
ah can i use bean paste/pepper paste in this stew (i want to try this next time)coz i remember when i eat it at my favourite korean restaurant it had a distinct bean paste taste…
for the potato side dish, is sugar cane syrup similar to corn syrup as i couldn’t find the corn syrup (i used an extra helping of sugar instead and it still tasted yummy!)?
thanks!keep up ur great work!
Thank you very much for your nice comment!
Yes, you can use bean paste or hot pepper paste, but not too much.
I usually don’t use it in my soondubujjigae.
If I use soy bean paste in my soondubu jjigae, it will be similar to doenjangjjigae (soybean, vegetables, tofu stew): http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/tofu-stew-doenjang-chigae
Anyway, a little bit of hot pepper paste or soy bean paste won’t ruin the taste of your soondubujjigae!
Sugar cane syrup sounds good!
Good luck with making delicious Korean dishes!
hi!!! i love your recipes and i was wondering how many servings this recipe makes. would it feed at least 4 people?
It’s for 2 servings. You will have to double the ingredients for 4 servings.
do i also double the cooking time?
I think so,
Hi,
I recently found your youtube cooking instruction videos, and was a fan ever since! So far I’ve tried both your potato dishes and they’re super yummy. I made the soft tofu stew tonight, but realized the soup was really tasty however the tofu was bland. I wonder if it’s suppose to be a little bland, or I did something wrong along the way. I couldn’t find the pepper flakes instead used several peppers as substitute.
Thanks for all your recipes, I’m looking forward to trying them all =)
It sounds like you made good soondubu jjigae. Soondubu (soft silky tofu) by itself has no taste.
i made the soup today! taste is quite similar as what i get in restaurants but somehow something is lacking. i used the korean bean paste, abit of hot pepper paste and some hot pepper powder. do you think it is because i did not use chicken stock and use bean paste instead which is why it don’t taste so delicious?
To make delicious soondubu jjigae, the first thing you will have to prepare is to make delicious stock. Otherwise, it will be too bland!
I don’t use chicken stock. Please follow my written recipe tightly. You could use soybean paste, but not too much.
Maangchi,
My favorite soondubu is kimchi soondubu. Can you tell me how to make that?
Thanks a lot!
Add chopped kimchi as in step 7 in the recipe with shiitake mushrooms.
hihi,
can i use korean bean paste and red pepper paste in this recipe? if yes, what ingredients does the bean paste and red pepper paste substitute in your original recipe? is it anchovies, kelp and red pepper flakes? thanks in advance. i’m planning to try this recipe on this sat, my first time trying out a korean recipe. :)
I would not use hot pepper paste in soondubu jjigae because hot pepper paste’s strong flavor and thickness may ruin the taste of the soup.
You can use soy bean paste though. In case you use soy bean paste, reduce the amount of fish sauce because soy bean paste is salty. That’s all. Let me know how your soondubu jjigae turns out.
thanks for the advice. so i should use hot pepper chilli flakes with the soy bean paste. if i use soy bean paste, do i still need to use anchovies and kelp for the soup? or can i replace the anchovies and kelp with chicken stock instead?
Yes, you can use chicken stock, too!
Hello Maangchi!,
LOVE your website and videos! I just made soon dubu…not too bad the first time, but i will keep making it and try to make it better and better! I was wondering…i have some friends that are vegetarian and was curious if you had any recommendations for stock or anything else to put in. Mainly the anchovies and obviously the seafood and beef are the issue…lol. But it’s delicious for me!
Thanks!
To make stock for vegetarians, use dried kelp (called dashima in Korean) and shiitake mushrooms. Good luck with making the best soondubu jjigae!
Won’t the pot break when you pour in the soup stock?
yes, it won’t be broken.
Hi Maangchi, I just want to leave a message to say thank you for a great recipe!!! xD I love soon dubu jigae! Everytime I go to a Korean restaurant, I always order this, and everytime I get home, I have to drink lots and lots of water, which goes to show they use MSG in their broth/stock! So I vowed to make my own (with your help!) ^-^
I did do some modifications to suit my taste though. Someone mentioned adding soy bean paste, and I did that, and it turned out great! Definitely enhanced the flavor of the soup base for me. Your version of the stock alone is already yummy (definitey can’t do w/o the anchovies!), but I think adding a little soy bean paste and hot pepper paste really remind me of the flavor I had at the restaurant, plus that made the soup a little thicker (instead of watery), just the way I like it!
I’m sorry for the long message, I just want to say I coudln’t do it w/o you! Now I can make it anytime I want, which is a good thing, cuz the place that I think have the best soon dubu jigae closed down a couple of months ago~
Hi Maangchi, I tried out your spicy squid dish two weeks ago and LOVED it! Now I found my second favorite Korean dish recipe here. I cannot wait to try it. I also really appreciate the “glossary” you created of all the items you need to have in these dishes. It is extremely helpful, especially for people like me who can’t read Korean labels in the Korean grocery stores. Thanks for all of your hard work to enlighten all of us to authentic Korean cooking. I’ll let you know how my soondubu jigae attempt goes!
I’m very glad to hear that! good luck with soondubu jjigae making!
hello :)
I don’t like mushrooms or spicy stuff? Do i have to use mushrooms and chili pepper?
You can make mild soondubu jjigae then.
Hello Maangchi,
Thank you for sharing all of those delicious stuff. Actually i have been a silence reader All this while, i also cook several stuff from your video. It is so easy and come out taste the same as the korean food that i ate in restaurant. I didn’t got a chance to take picture, but will do in future and send to you. Once again thank you so much..will for sure by the book and dvd to support you.
Take care
Ita..
hi maangchi,
good day! i cant find soft tofu in my place, can i replace it with the square one? thanx god bless
Of course you can use square shape of tofu. It will still be delicious, but it should be called “tofu stew” because the main ingredient is not soft tofu (soondubu)! :) Good luck with making your delicious tofu stew!!
This looks so delicious! I hope I can make it soon. I’ll make it as soon as I find a Korean grocery store around my place.
I just have one question though. What’s the difference between leeks and green onions? They look the same to me. Whenever I go to the market to buy “those green stuff” I call them leeks.
Thanks a lot for sharing your recipes, Maangchi! I watch your videos everyday even if I’ve seen some of them more than 5 times already!
I hope you can find a Korean grocery store easily.
I found this for you on the internet. Check this out.
http://www.foodsubs.com/Onionsgreen.html
Maangchi,
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes. I tried this recipe last weekend and it turned out delicious. You’re Dae Jang Geum of this century. You should consider open up a restaurant. If you ever visit San Francisco Bay Area, I’d love to meet.
Bests.
D.
haha, thank you! Next time take a photo of the food and send it to me. I would like to meet you, too.
hello maangchi,
love this recipe my mouth is watering, just one question why the soup turned reddish in color it’s like you add pepper powder on it.
check the ingredients for this recipe. It says “# 2-5 tbs of hot pepper flakes”
Your videos are very concise. Thank you.
The recipe for kimchi was so well illustrated that even I, not a great cook, thought I too could make this!
Hiii Manangchi!
Today, I will be making Soondubu jjigae. Luckily,I ‘ve found all my ingredients in one market. I’m also planning to add noodles to the stew, to see how it goes but I’m afraid of the outcome. So I’ll make just plain Soondubu jjiage first. Last time I made bimibap for my family and it turned out great! Thanks so much.
Have you ever wanted to cook other type of ethic’s food? =] Just curious.
I can’t find kelp, so i use a sheet of kim…. This dish is a big 10 !
fishy,
Yes, follow the recipe tightly to make good stock. Otherwise, it won’t be delicious.
maagchi,
do you really need the kelp and shiitake for the stock? or would it be fine w/o it?
gabieolie,
fish roe soondubu? It sounds strange to me! However, why not! Add fish roe to the stew directly and boil it. When to add it? check the step 10 in my recipe “Add 1 cup of mixed seafood and 3 shirimp”. Add fish roe instead of mixed seafood.
Hi Maangchi,
I had tried this recipe few months ago and added few things here and there but it didn’t turn out good. I decided to try it again today and this time, I followed your recipe exactly and it turned out really delicious!!! I want to make fish-roe soondubu (ahl soondubu) for my daughter. Maangchi could you please give some advice on how to make it? My daughter really wants me to make it. Please help :) Thank you!!!
chris
oh yeah? Thank you for the tips!
this one is awesome.
i found it convenient to replace the dried anchovies for making the stock with japanese dashi-no-moto, which is a powder made from bonito fish. very yummy!
BB,
Don’t use fish sauce if you don’t like the smell until you get accustomed to the flavor. Just skip it. Many people don’t like the fish sauce smell. : ) Use salt or soy sauce, then.
Hi Maangchi,
I followed your soondubu stew recipe last night. It was very exciting for me since I am just starting to learn how to cook. And thanks to you, you’re making things a lot easier for me with your tips and website. One question – I used the fish sauce in the soondubu as you instructed, but the smell kills me. What is the purpose of the fish sauce? I really don’t care for the fish sauce smell.. any alternatives?
tina,
The dried seaweed must be laver? If it’s not kelp, don’t use it for your soondubu. Dried anchovies, kelp, and shiitake mushrooms are 3 basic ingredients for good stock. You won’t need dashida.
Anyway, you could use dashida in your soondubu.
angyonghaseyo!
i went to a couple korean markets today (luckily they are in the same area) and picked up some items to make soondubu jjigae. i didn’t realize i bought dried seaweed (cut into squares) instead of dried kelp, will this make a difference? i also forgot to grab dried shitake mushrooms. will that also make a difference?
i did buy a bag of beef dashida, could i put a tablespoon or 2 in the broth with the dried anchovies in place of the shitake mushrooms?
thanks so much!
Carina,
Great news! Congratulation on your successful soondubu making!
Check the ingredient section on my website.
http://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/kelp
Hello Maangchi,
I made Soondubu last night and it was a success but it was a little too spicy for my boyfriend but I liked it =). While looking for the ingredients, I couldn’t seem to find kelp anywhere. I went to Assi Plaza and all they had was seaweed. Do you know where I can get it? I made the broth without the kelp but I couldn’t compare the broth with the kelp.
Who is not going to be happy to be loved!
I love you, too! : )
I LOVE YOU!!
yvonne,
yeah, why not? If you want to do some experiments!
my god! it tasted like how the restaurants make it. it was absolutely delicious. maangchi, can i substitute hot chilli paste instead of the pepper flakes- just experimenting.
Maria,
yes, making shikhye is easy but takes long time!
I am going to post the recipe very soon. When I say very, it’s very soon! : ) Thank you!
…sorry forgot to add my name to my cooment about your videos & shikye!
Hi’ya Maangchi! Your cooking videos are so fun to watch and now my little boy says, ‘mama let’s watch maangchi!’
You make everything look so easy and delicious that you’ve inspired me to give Korean food a go in our kitchen. When I go out for Korean food, I’m always hoping the restaurant will serve shikye (sp?), the sweet rice drink that tastes so good after eating spicy foods. My friend says it takes a loong time to make, but am wondering if that’s something you might attempt for your fans?
Hugs from San Francisco!
Himani,
oh yeah? Why don’t you use a can of chicken broth instead of using seafood?
Hi Maangchi!
I have a question about this recipe. I’m allergic to seafood (both fish and shellfish), is there anything I can use to substitute the anchovies?
Thank you so much!