Spicy Tofu Stew or Sundubu Jjigae is another Korean dish that I always order whenever I’m in a Korean restaurant. But ordering one can be very expensive. So I just decided to do my own version of sundubu jjigae.

Believe it or not, cooking sundubu jjigae is very easy! It is just like dumping all the ingredients into a saucepan and mixing them all together. If you haven’t tried cooking, then try this recipe out.

Just like my kimchi fried rice recipe, I used ingredients that can be easily be bought from local Philippine grocery stores or wet markets.

Korean Spicy Tofu Stew (Sundubu Jjigae)

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 – 20 minutes
Serves 5 – 6 persons

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive or sesame oil
1/2 large white onion
100g ground beef
100g kimchi
2 large shiitake mushroom, thinly sliced
3 tbsp gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) or chili powder*
3 cups water
1 chicken stock cube
100g tofu, cubed
100g mussels
2 large onion leeks, chopped
1 green chili pepper (siling haba), chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 medium egg
Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. In a large saucepan, heat some olive or sesame oil over medium heat. Add the onion and stir until it softens. Add in the beef. When the beef changes color, add in the kimchi and shitake mushroom.
2. Add in the gochujang or chili powder. Stir everything together.
3. Add water and dissolve the stock cube. Add the tofu. Allow it to simmer while stirring occasionally.
4. Add the mussels, onion leeks, green chili and garlic. Mix them all together. Allow to boil for 5 minutes.
5. Add egg and stir for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Transfer into small bowls and serve immediately. It may also be served with steamed rice.

Notes

• Adjust the amount of gochujang or chili powder and green chili to desired level of spiciness.
• You may also tweak the amount of the other ingredients to your liking.
• You may also use halaan or manila clams instead of mussels.