Cooking in

British Columbia

Korean · Busan

Sundubu Jjigae

Sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) is served in a scorching dolsot (stone pot) with a raw egg cracked in at the table, which poaches immediately in the bubbling broth. The stew is built on a gochugaru-seafood base — the chilli oil gives it the characteristic brick-red colour and heat, and the seafood provides the umami depth. The sundubu (uncurdled, silken soft tofu) breaks apart into pillowy, custard-like curds in the broth.

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Serves4

Total25 min

Sourced4 of 9 in BC

Cook

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The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

400 g

silken tofu

divided into 4 portions

Origin · JapanChoose your town to see who stocks it →

150 g

ground pork (80/20)

Your own market

200 ml

anchovy stock or dashi

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

100 g

kimchi

chopped

Origin · KoreaChoose your town to see who stocks it →

60 g

onion

diced

Your own market

garlic cloves

minced

Your own market

15 g

ginger

minced

Origin · New ZealandNot yet stocked in British Columbia

30 g

gochugaru (Korean red chilli flakes)

Origin · KoreaChoose your town to see who stocks it →

30 ml

gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)

Choose your town to see who stocks it →

15 ml

soy sauce

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

egg (optional)

Your own market

green onions

sliced

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

10 ml

sesame oil

Your own market

5 g

sesame seeds

Not yet stocked in British Columbia

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

The Method

Bring anchovy stock to boil in shallow earthenware pot or skillet over medium-high heat.

Add ground pork, breaking into small pieces with wooden spoon; cook 2 minutes until mostly cooked through.

Stir in diced onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger; sauté 1 minute until fragrant.

Add chopped kimchi and gochugaru; stir continuously 1 minute to bloom spice.

From the canon — Kimchi (baechu kimchi — napa cabbage kimchi) is Korea's foundational fermented condiment — salted napa cabbage packed with a paste of gochugaru (Korean red p… Kimchi →

Dissolve gochujang in stock liquid, then add to pot along with soy sauce; bring to simmer.

From the canon — Gochujang is one of the great fermented condiments of the world — a thick, brick-red Korean paste made from gochugaru (Korean red chilli flakes), fermented s… Gochujang (Korean Fermented Chilli Paste — Ratio and Use) →

Gently slide silken tofu portions into simmering broth; do not stir vigorously (tofu will break apart).

Simmer 5 minutes; if desired, crack egg into centre and let cook gently 1–2 minutes (do not stir); garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and sesame oil; serve directly from pot.

III

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where sundubu jjigae lives or dies is the egg crack — the diner cracks the egg into the centre of the violently boiling stew and immediately uses chopsticks to break the yolk and stir it in circles. The egg should set in 30-40 seconds, forming long, soft ribbons through the broth. If you wait too long before stirring, the egg white sets solid on the surface and the yolk remains raw underneath — you want the two cooked simultaneously into ribbons.

Pillar IV

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