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Korean Soft Tofu Stew with Seafood: A Spicy, Comforting Bowl in Under 30 Minutes
If there’s one dish I can never pass up at a Korean restaurant, it’s soondubu jjigae—Korean soft tofu stew. Anytime I see it on the menu, you better believe I’m ordering it. My first real experience with tofu stew was at the famous BCD Tofu House in LA, and after that, I was hooked. The deep, rich broth, the silky tofu, the seafood—it was everything I wanted in a comforting, spicy soup.
The beauty of this dish is that it comes together in less than 30 minutes but is packed with so much flavor. The signature red color? That comes from gochugaru—Korean red chili powder. It’s a staple in Korean cooking and gives the soup its signature spice, but what I love most is how it adds heat without being overwhelmingly spicy. It’s just enough to warm you up, making every spoonful deeply satisfying.
I like to add slices of daikon to my soup—not just for texture but because it brings a subtle sweetness to the broth. I always like to have some kind of vegetable in my dishes, and daikon melts beautifully into the stew without overpowering the other flavors.
The key to a perfect soondubu jjigae is using silken tofu. Don’t cut it beforehand—just immerse the whole blocks into the broth and let them break apart naturally as they cook. This way, you get big, luscious chunks of tofu instead of tiny, disintegrated bits floating around.
As a seafood lover, I always load mine up with shrimp, mussels, and clams. But the options are endless—you can add scallops, fish, calamari, or swap the seafood for meat if that’s more your style. And if you want to keep it vegan, you can skip the seafood and meat altogether and let the tofu and vegetables shine.
One of my favorite parts? Cracking an egg or two into the soup while it’s still piping hot. The heat gently poaches the eggs, adding a silkiness and richness to the broth. And of course, the more protein, the better!
I sometimes like to eat this with a side of steamed rice, letting the spicy broth soak into the grains for an even heartier meal. There’s something so soothing about the way the heat moves down your throat, warming you from the inside out. It’s comforting, deeply flavorful, and packed with a lot of protein heaven in every bite.
Korean Soft Tofu Seafood Stew – Soondubu Jjigae
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil, or any cooking oil
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp garlic, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped, separate white and green
- 1 cup oyster mushroom, rough chopped
- ¼ cup gochugaru
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 32 oz low sodium chicken broth or low sodium or vegetable broth
- 1 cup daikon, sliced into half moon shapes, ¼ inch thick slices
- 2 14 oz extra soft or silken tofu
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp rock sugar
- 6 Tbsp mushroom powder
- ½ lb mussels
- ½ lb clams
- ½ lb shrimp, preferably with head and shell on
- 5 eggs
Instructions
- In a pot on medium heat, add cooking oil and sauté onions, garlic and white part of green onions. Cook for a couple of minutes until it’s fragrant and onions have softened.
- Add oyster mushroom and cook for another minute.
- Add gochugaru with sesame oil. Quickly mix it through and cook for 30 seconds. The chili burns easily so take extra care of this step.
- Pour broth into pot and add daikon, gently immerse whole tofu blocks, fish sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and mushroom powder. Bring to a boil then turn down heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. The tofu will break up naturally.
- Add seafood and cover pot with lid. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove lid, skim the foam, and right before serving add eggs. Or do individual serving bowls while it's still piping hot and add an egg to each bowl. The broth needs to be piping hot or it won’t be able to poach the egg.
Nutrition
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