A few years ago, I posted a recipe for a typical Korean soft tofu stew (a.k.a sundubu jjigae). Many people liked the recipe and I also got requests from people to share a vegetarian version of the soup too. Since I made savory homemade vegetable broth recently, I’m going to share my vegetable sundubu jjigae recipe with you today. Without any seafood or meat, which gives soup a rich savory flavor, you can still make delicious sundubu jjigae with just vegetable ingredients. It is healthy, easy, and tasty. Of course, you can always add some seafood such as clams or mussels if you want. I’m glad to share another vegetarian friendly recipe with you. Please try it someday and let me know what you think.
Yield: 2 Servings
Short Korean Lesson
- AnJeon (안전) = Safety
- WiHeom (위험) = Danger
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients:
- 1 Pack Korean Extra Soft Tofu (12 oz)
- ⅔ Cup Vegetable Broth
- ⅓ Cup Crimini Mushrooms
- ⅓ Cup Onion
- ⅓ Cup Zucchini
- 2 oz Enoki Mushroom
- ¼ Cup Green Onion
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Hot Pepper (Optional)
Seasoning Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp Green Onion, Minced
- 1 Tbsp Soup Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Hot Pepper Powder
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Cooking Oil
- ¼ tsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp Garlic, Minced
Directions
Prepare all the vegetable ingredients: ⅓ cup crimini mushrooms, ⅓ cup onion, ⅓ cup zucchini, 2 oz enoki mushroom, ¼ cup green onion, and 2 Tbsp hot pepper. Depending on what you have on hand, or what you prefer, use 1 cup total worth of vegetables of your choice instead of the crimini mushrooms, onion, and zucchini.
Slice the onion into ¼ inch thick slices. Cut the zucchini into thin half moon shaped pieces. Cut the crimini mushrooms into bite sized pieces. Cut and remove the bottom of the enoki mushrooms. Cut the green onions into 1 inch pieces. Cut the hot pepper into ½ inch pieces.
We need a small Korean clay pot, which is called a Tteokbaegi. You can buy this online.
Preheat the clay pot and put 1 tsp of sesame oil and 1 tsp of cooking oil in it.
Add 2 Tbsp of minced green onion in the oil and fry it for about 30 seconds on medium-high. This green onion oil is one of the secret tips to make the delicious sundubu jjigae.
30 seconds later, quickly add 1 Tbsp of soup soy sauce, 1 Tbsp of hot pepper powder, and ¼ tsp of sugar. Mix everything together. I like my sundubu jjigae a little spicy, so you might want to reduce the hot pepper powder a little bit, but for the best flavor, it is best to put it all in the pot. hehe
Then, quickly add the chopped onion and zucchini.
Reduce the temperature to medium and fry it for about 2 minutes.
Pour about ⅔ cup of vegetable broth into the pot. I already posted a good homemade vegetable broth recipe in my previous post, so please check it out.
Bring it back to a boil.
Meanwhile, get 1 pack of Korean extra soft tofu (12 oz). If you can’t find this Korean tofu, you can use normal silken tofu.
There is this line that shows where to cut the tofu pack open.
Once the broth starts to boil again, put all the extra soft tofu into it.
Then add the crimini mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium-high.
After 5 minutes, add ¼ tsp of minced garlic. I like to add the garlic later for better broth flavor. Taste it and adjust the saltiness with salt if needed. For my tastes, it was just fine the way it was.
Then add the enoki mushrooms, the chopped green onion, and the hot peppers into the soup.
Cook for 2 more minutes and then turn off the heat.
You can serve the soup boiling hot in the clay pot and enjoy with rice and other Korean side-dishes. The tofu is so soft and tasty with this spicy broth. All the other vegetables add good flavor and a nice chunky texture to the soup. You should try this healthy and delicious vegetable sundubu jjigae someday. It will make you warm and even hot during this cold winter. 😉
Jim Beadles says
We made this soup tonight and it was great. We used beef broth instead of vegetable broth and cut the amount of hot pepper powder in half. Firm tofu is widely available in our area, but not the soft. We went to a nearby Korean supermarket for soft tofu, which works better since it absorbs more of the broth. Wonderful on a cold night. Thank you, Aeri!
Aeri Lee says
hi Jim,
Thanks for trying my recipe. I’m happy to hear that you liked it.