Korean Soft Tofu Stew with pork belly (Sundubu-Jjigae) Recipe (Step by Step for Dummies)

Half my planned Sunday meals are due to what I see on my Facebook newsfeed and this was no different. I had forgotten about Korean Soft Tofu Strew until I saw my friend made one, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind ever since! Well, today, I finally got to address this craving. Here’s a step-by-step recipe following Maangchi but tweaked a bit to take into account a much larger serving size (cooking for grandparents as well since it’s Grandparent’s Day today!), and the ingredients I have available at home. Here we go!

 

DELECTABLE SIDE DISH FOR THE DAY: KOREAN SOFT TOFU STEW WITH PORK BELLY (SUNDUBU-JJIGAE)

DIFFICULTY: Easy

SERVING SIZE: Good for 8 people

PREPARATION TIME: 2 hours

 

INGREDIENTS FOR KOREAN SOFT TOFU STEW WITH PORK BELLY (SUNDUBU-JJIGAE)

Ingredients for Anchovy Kelp Stock (Myeolchi Dasima Yuksu)

• 30 dried anchovies (or dilis equivalent)
• 1 Korean radish (around ~1 kg)
• Dried Seaweed (or Kelp) – 2 sheets (hand-sized, 6 x 4 inch per sheet)

Ingredients for Spicy Paste and Garnish

• 6 tbsp gochujang (or chili flakes)
• 4 tsp sesame oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 stalks green onion, diced

Ingredients for Toppings

• 300g pork belly
• 2 cups well-fermented kimchi
• 4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 kg soft tofu

 

PROCEDURE:

STEP 1: Make the Anchovy Kelp Stock

Anchovy stock is a traditional base for many Korean soups, stews and broths since it enhances the flavor of the dish. Given this, you can opt to make an excess of these and just use for another set of dish you end up cooking. I only cook on Sundays thought so I try to make sure everything I make will be finished, so my measurements are more exact.

• Medium to large size anchovies are best (2-3 inches long) as they impart more flavor for your stock. If you purchase large size anchovies, I’d recommend you remove the guts by opening the belly and scraping them out. The guts are a bit bitter, so they may end up spoiling the taste of your broth. Thankfully, you don’t have to do this for small to medium anchovies – hence I didn’t since mine were medium sized. Lastly, although this step is optional, you can opt to remove the anchovy head and not include it in your stock

• Clean the radish with water, then peel the skin. Afterwards, slice thinly

• In your pot, place the 30 pcs of dried anchovies, the sliced radish, and your sheets of dried kelp. Pour 4 cups of water into the pot

• Cover the pot and increase to medium high heat for 10 minutes until it starts boiling. Afterwards, reduce the heat to low and boil for another 20 minutes. If needed, you can opt to keep pot uncovered for the last 20 minutes to allow the fishy aroma to escape

• Remove from the heat and strain. This will make around ~3.5 cups of stock

STEP 2: Prepare the Spicy Paste, Garnish, and Toppings

• Mix the 6 tbsp gochujang (can increase or lessen depending on your spicy tolerance) and the 4 tsp sesame oil together. I love gochujang – it makes EVERYTHING taste better

• Chop the 1 pc onion into small pieces, and mince 5 cloves of garlic

• Dice the 12 stalks of green onion into small bits

• Cut 300g of pork belly into small pieces. Depending on preference, you may want to carve out the pork skin and fats first

STEP 3: Cook the Spicy Soft Tofu Stew

• Heat up the pot over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil, onion and garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon for ~1-2 minutes until flavor is released

• Add the pork. Stir occasionally until pork is no longer pink. This may take somewhere around 3-5 minutes

• Add the kimchi and stir for one minute

• Add 2 cups of anchovy stock. Cover and cook for 7 minutes over medium heat

• Uncover the pot, and add 4 tsp salt and 2 tsp sugar. Mix well
• Put in the soft tofu (you can opt to cut up beforehand, or gently break up the tofu once its in the pot using your wooden spoon). If you feel the stew has become too dry, you can add some more stock

• Add the strained radish, kelp and dried anchovies into the stew. This is optional – but I didn’t know where else I would use these, so into the stew they went
• Place your spicy paste mixture on top and mix with the stew

• Turn off the heat. Sprinkle with chopped green onions on top

STEP 4: Bon Appetit!

• Serve with rice and banchan. In my case, I made Korean Soybean Sprouts (Kongnamool) and Kimchi for the side dishes

• Excess anchovy stock can be served as a palate cleanser post-meal, to take away the spicy taste in your mouth