Sundubu-jjigae Recipe: Korea's Red Soft Tofu Stew with Clams

History: Seawater Tofu and Red Chili

Chodang is a district of Gangneung, with nearly twenty sundubu restaurants in a row. They use domestic soybeans and seawater. In the mouth there is no grassy beaniness, a nutty aroma rises, and the tofu is said to be so soft it crumbles and quivers. The seawater of the East Sea (the sea off Korea's east coast) is said to contain enough magnesium and calcium to set soy milk even without concentrating it.

The outline of the method is this. White soybeans are soaked and ground, and the soy milk boiled at 98–100°C is cooled to 80°C. Adding seawater at 3.5–4% salinity makes sundubu, and pressing for about 20 minutes more gives modubu, close to firm tofu.

Chodang Tofu Village became known beyond the town, and the restaurants gathered, in the 1970s and 80s. The trigger was residents beginning to sell home-made tofu in Gangneung city. The traditional way of eating there does not over-season. You taste the soy aroma and the faint saltiness of seawater as they are, with bean sprouts and aged kimchi alongside.

So where did the red stew now so well known come from? Spicy red sundubu, and the Korean-style jjamppong-like "jjamppong sundubu," are relatively recent variations. That is why a white tofu and a red stew sit side by side under the same name.

The name Chodang is said to come from Heo Yeop (1517–1580), a scholar-official of mid-Joseon whose pen name was Chodang. The story is that he made soy milk with spring water in front of his house and set it with seawater, which began Chodang tofu, and his pen name became the place name. But no document supports Heo Yeop as the origin. The Veritable Records of Munjong already has a record, in Munjong's first year, of using seawater as a coagulant, so the idea of setting tofu with seawater is probably older. Whether the tradition has been passed down unbroken through generations is also unclear.

The method for the red stew is explained like this. Chopped pork fat is put in an earthenware pot, then sundubu, seasoning sauce and shelled clams, and it is cooked over high heat, stirring. Even without adding water or stock, liquid comes out of the sundubu. This stew crossed the sea. In 2005 the New York Times is reported to have called sundubu-jjigae "the most ideal winter food."

One destination is Koreatown in Los Angeles. BCD Tofu House opened on Vermont Avenue in 1996, and the shop it opened on Wilshire Boulevard in 2000 became known for its 24-hour service. Heat can be chosen from mild to extra hot, and there is a way of eating the stone-bowl rice's scorched layer as nurungji. Which was Los Angeles' first specialty shop differs between sources, so we leave that aside here.

In a home kitchen, you cannot reproduce the seawater-set tofu of that locale itself. But a combination of soft tofu and spicy oil can be made. First look for a similar tofu at the store.

Finding Tofu Close to Sundubu

The first candidate is soft tofu curds, such as unpressed fresh tofu or tofu sold as "soft" or "curd" style. They are close to the form before it is fully set, and bring you closest to the feel of sundubu. Next is silken tofu. Firm tofu holds tightly and does not give that quivering feel, so it is unsuitable.

Scoop a pack of about 400 g with a spoon into chunks of 4–5 cm into the pot, without breaking it up much. If you cut it into squares with a knife, the wavy cross-section typical of sundubu disappears. No draining is needed. The water from the tofu is used as part of the liquid, so if you feel there is too much water, reduce the stock to adjust.

At Korean grocery stores and the like, sundubu in tubes is sometimes sold. Depending on the store, if you can get it, it can replace the tofu by the same amount.

Tofu releases water and breaks apart when heated. That is why it goes in last and should not be overcooked. This point connects straight to the steps.

Why It Goes to the Table in the Pot: Choosing a Vessel

Locally, ingredients go straight into an earthenware or stone vessel (ttukbaegi and the like), cooked, and brought to the table still boiling. Cracking the egg in at the end is the table's showpiece.

In a home kitchen you can also make it in a thick-walled pot or earthenware pot about 24 cm across. A special vessel is not required. Still, a dedicated vessel has the merits of staying hot after serving and of letting the egg set to a soft yolk in the vessel.

If you want to serve each person a piping hot portion, or often make bibimbap and jjigae, a flameproof ceramic or stone bowl suits it. If you already have a small earthenware pot that can go over direct flame, you can pass, and if you cook it only once a year, passing is again fine. Check whether it is rated for direct flame (gas), and its inner diameter. Check as well whether it fits on your own stove's grate, and how many you would need for four servings. Some are not usable on induction, so check the labeling. Empty heating or sudden cooling can crack ceramic.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Four servings is the amount made in one large pot and divided. To make single portions in individual vessels, divide the ingredients by four and simmer. Use 300 g shell-on clams; if already purged of sand, they can be used the same day. To purge sand, soak them in 3% salt water (15 g salt in 500 ml water) in a dark place for 1–2 hours as a guide. The egg is cracked in and set by heat, so use fresh ones, and crack each into a separate small bowl first so no shell goes in the pot.

The red oil is made by putting gochugaru and chopped garlic into sesame oil. It is the base of the stew's color and aroma, so it is also the deciding point of flavor.

You can make it with regular sesame oil. But freshly opened Korean sesame oil has a strong toasted-sesame aroma, and in a dish like this where the oil itself becomes the aroma, that is where the difference shows.

Choose coarse gochugaru. Fine grind scorches easily and finishes powdery. At the store look for ones labeled "Korean," "coarse" and "for seasoning." The aim is color and aroma more than heat, so adjust heat by quantity. You can buy it at Korean or import grocers and online. If you cannot find it nearby, the coarse type for soups rather than for kimchi is enough. Keep opened sesame oil in a cool, dark place and use it up soon to avoid oxidation.

How to Recover When It Goes Wrong

About 20 minutes in all: make the stock, make the red oil, simmer, and drop in the eggs at the end. Three things to remember for next time: do not scorch the gochugaru, keep it on low heat; put the tofu in as big chunks without breaking it; and crack the eggs in just before turning off the heat and set them with residual heat.

Earthenware and heavy pots conduct heat evenly, so even on medium the edges start to bubble. On high heat too much water comes out of the tofu and the flavor goes blurry.

Even if it fails, some things can be recovered and some cannot.

• The gochugaru scorched and is bitter: this stew cannot be rescued. If it is dark brown and smells burnt, wash the pot and remake. Next time keep it on low heat, and take the pot off the burner if the oil gets too hot.
• The broth is watery and the flavor blurry: water has come out of the tofu. Without a lid, simmer over medium 2–3 minutes to reduce, or add soy sauce 1/2 tsp at a time. Next time reduce the stock by 50 ml.
• Too spicy: cracking in an egg and stirring, adding tofu, or adding 2–3 tbsp milk will mellow the heat. Do not add water to dilute the powder.
• The tofu broke up and clouded white: stirring while boiling caused it. Next time use medium-low heat and only shake the pot. The flavor does not change when it breaks, so you can just eat it.
• Clams did not open: do not eat any that stay closed even after cooking. If sand remains, strain the broth once before serving.
• Too salty: the salt of the kimchi and clams adds up. Add hot water 50 ml at a time and adjust by tasting.

The Local Table with Rice

At local restaurants the earthenware pot is brought to the table still boiling and the egg is cracked in on the spot. Around it are set white rice, kimchi, bean sprouts, fried flat fish, pickled chili and pickled radish among the side dishes. Some shops also serve stone-bowl rice (dolsot-bap), and hot water is poured on the scorched layer to eat it as nurungji. At home, white rice is enough.

The way to eat is to spoon the broth over the rice, breaking up the tofu as you go. Breaking the egg yolk while still soft eases the heat.

To keep the heat down, use 1 tbsp gochugaru. If eating with children, set aside some before the red oil stage, and add heat a little at a time later.

The ingredients can be changed to taste: add seafood (shrimp, squid, oysters), use beef, add more mushrooms, leave out the pork and use only seafood, or omit the kimchi. If you cannot get clams, canned scallops also work.

In Gangneung there are also places that serve sundubu white and mildly seasoned. At home too, leftover tofu is delicious as is with soy sauce and chopped scallion on top.

FAQ

Can I make it with firm tofu?

You can, but the texture is different. Firm tofu has little water and holds tightly, so scooping it into chunks with a spoon tends to crumble it. The order of choice is soft curds, then curd-style tofu, then silken tofu. If you have only firm, tear it into big pieces by hand and shorten the cooking by 2 minutes. Reduce the liquid a little, to 350 ml of stock.

Can I make it without clams?

Yes. Frozen shelled clams, canned scallops (with their liquid), shrimp or squid can replace them. It also works with only pork and kimchi, but savor is weaker, so make the anchovy stock stronger. If you leave out the clams, you also skip the work of purging sand.

How do I make it for children or people who dislike heat?

Use 1 tbsp gochugaru and adjust the amount at the red oil stage. For children, set aside tofu, clams and stock before they go into the red oil, and season them without heat. Adding an extra egg mellows the heat.

Can I make it ahead or store it?

As a guide, refrigerate up to 1 day. It contains egg, tofu and clams, so eat it soon. Reheating makes the tofu release water and thins the taste, so adjust with a little soy sauce. Freezing is not recommended because it changes the tofu's texture. If you have clams left over, remove the shells and store. Store it in the state before the egg goes in, and drop the egg in after reheating, for a better texture.

Can I serve it with rice even without a single-serving earthenware pot?

Yes, if you cook it in a heavy pot and divide it into small bowls. Pouring hot broth over the rice after serving keeps it from cooling. A dedicated vessel suits when you want the egg to finish soft in the vessel, or want to serve each portion piping hot.

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