Method
- Heat both oils in a small stoneware pot (ttukbaegi) or heavy saucepan over medium-high. Add diced pork and stir-fry 3 minutes until rendered and browned at the edges.
- Add diced onion, garlic and gochugaru. Stir 60 seconds — the chili flakes should bloom in the oil and turn the pot a deep red. The base of jjigae is this gochugaru-in-oil step.
- Add stock, soy sauce and fish sauce. Bring to a vigorous simmer. Add the clams; cook 3 minutes until they begin to open.
- Add prawns, then squeeze the silken tofu directly into the pot from the tube — Korean cooks don't dice, they squeeze, leaving the tofu in soft, broken curds.
- Cook 4 minutes — the broth should be deeply red, the seafood just cooked through, the tofu warmed through but still custard-soft.
- Bring the pot, still bubbling, to the table. Crack a raw egg directly into the centre. The diner stirs the egg into the hot broth where it sets into delicate ribbons. Scatter sliced spring onion. Serve immediately with rice; the spoon goes from pot to rice bowl and back.
Common questions
Can Sundubu Jjigae be made ahead?
Sundubu Jjigae is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 20 minutes.
Is Sundubu Jjigae spicy?
Sundubu Jjigae as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Sundubu Jjigae vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is Sundubu Jjigae to make at home?
Sundubu Jjigae is approachable for a home cook with basic stove skills — total time about 35 minutes, no special technique required.
Can Sundubu Jjigae be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 2 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Sundubu jjigae is the lunch dish of Korean office workers — a single-serve stoneware bowl arrives at the table still spitting hot, the diner cracks an egg, and the meal begins. The silken tofu (sundubu) is a separate product from regular tofu — softer, custardier, sold in plastic tubes. The dish exists in many variations: kimchi sundubu, beef sundubu, mushroom sundubu — but the seafood-pork version is the canonical Seoul standard. The Korean restaurant ttukbaegi (stoneware pot) retains heat for the duration of the meal.
