Korean Mushroom Tofu Stew
Soondubu jigae is a Korean comfort food that is equally nutritious and delicious—even the vegetarian version of it. During these trying times, comfort food that can be made with anything in your pantry or fridge is a definite win. Originally made with clams or anchovies, this is made with shiitake mushrooms. The fish sauce in this recipe can be substituted for soy sauce to make it vegan.
One day while studying for exams at a friend’s house, a fragrant, savory aroma started to fill the air. I looked up at my friend who smiled and excitingly said, “My mom’s making my favorite—soondubu jigae!” He shared with me that this is “comfort food” made with a hodgepodge of whatever is left in the fridge that week. I went into the kitchen to copy down the recipe.
To remake the dish, I hunted for ingredients at the local Asian grocer in Renton, Uwajimaya. I started with fresh shiitakes for earthiness, a halved white onion for pungent flavor, a halved shallot for sweetness, and for spice, I added garlic—lots of garlic.
I married these foundational ingredients together in boiling water for half an hour before adding tofu and veggies. While waiting, I cooked steamed rice and my favorite Korean side dishes (banchan), cucumber salad (oi muchim). I also love potato salad (gamja saelleodeu) and will have to make that recipe another time. For now, here is a guide by Thrillist on the most common banchan: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/banchan-a-guide-to-korean-side-dishes
Here’s a photo of how I broke up the tofu in the container before adding it slowly to the soup.
While preparing the veggies (I had lots of broccoli in the fridge), I also took the time to prepare the green onion for garnishing at the end.
After 30 minutes of cooking, then cooling, the shiitakes got special treatment and were dressed in olive oil, gochujang (a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented paste consisting of soy bean, glutinous rice, and salt), and fish sauce.
Soup BEFORE adding shiitakes back in:
Soup AFTER adding shiitakes back in:
I turned off the heat and lightly beat a fresh egg in a ladle—one for each serving. Finally, sesame oil and green onion are added for garnish. The final product was reminiscent of a Vietnamese pork/crab vermicelli soup, bún riêu (https://www.vickypham.com/blog/vietnamese-crab-noodle-soup-bun-rieu).
The dish can be served with steamed rice and goes well with banchan.
The smokiness in the chilis from pan-frying the shiitakes, plus the sesame oil, add a nutty dimension to this dish that could otherwise easily fall flat in flavor. Even with the shiitakes and fish sauce, the soup does not have as strong of an umami finish as it does when made with clams or anchovies. I also want to try making this dish with the addition of kombu dashi, which is a Japanese umami, plant-based additive.
With veggies, egg, tofu, and the variety of nutritional options that can be added to this stew, it can easily be considered a healthy meal option to quickly cook up during the busy workweek. This is also a great go-to dish for cleaning out leftovers in the fridge before the weekend or when needing to make large-batch meals. Best of all, it tastes even better as the flavors sit together and blend in the pot in the fridge as each day goes by—if there’s any left by then! Merry quarantining everyone, and stay safe!
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Korean Mushroom Tofu Stew (“Soondubu Jigae”)
By Mally Vu
Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes (20 minutes prep + 1 hour cooking)
Soondubu jigae is a Korean comfort food that is equally nutritious and delicious—even the vegetarian version of it. During these trying times, comfort food that can be made with anything in your pantry or fridge is a definite win. Originally made with clams or anchovies, this is made with shiitake mushrooms. The fish sauce in this recipe can be substituted for soy sauce to make it vegan.
Ingredients (*optional)
Mushroom Broth
8oz shiitake mushrooms, washed with ends chopped (can be dry, soaked in water overnight)
White onion, washed with ends chopped; halved
Large shallot, washed with ends chopped; halved
5-7 cloves of garlic (or more if you like!), washed with ends chopped
*1.5 cups fish sauce, plus a dash for shiitake seasoning (may substitute for soy sauce)
1-2 tbsp mushroom powder, to taste
Stew Contents
Olive oil
1 tbsp gochujang
*1 cup Korean chili powder
2 packages silken, firm tofu
Salt to taste
8 eggs
Additional Contents
*Kimchi
*Zucchini
*Broccoli
*Kobucha squash
*Bok choy
*Enoki mushroom
Garnishes
Sesame oil drizzle
Green onion (scallions), washed with ends chopped; thinly diced, including white part
Seaweed strips (or furikake as a substitute)
Preparation Instructions
You will need a 8 quart soup pot, a frying or sauce pan, a strainer, a large bowl, and a ladle.
Fill 8qt soup pot 3/4 full (6 quarts) with water and bring to a boil. Add broth ingredients (shiitake, white onion, shallot, and garlic). Boil over medium heat and cover, leaving lid ajar (use wooden spatula if needed). Cook for 30 minutes.
During this time, it may be a good idea to prepare steamed rice and Korean side dishes, or banchan. My favorite are cucumber salad (oi muchim) and potato salad (gamja saelleodeu). Here is a guide by Thrillist on the most common banchan: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/banchan-a-guide-to-korean-side-dishes
After 30 minutes has passed, slowly strain contents of soup into a bowl (be careful!). Alternatively, you can use a straining ladle and empty the contents from the broth. Discard all but shiitake, setting aside to cool.
Return broth to pot. Add fish sauce (or soy sauce) and mushroom powder. Bring to boil, then cook additional 15 minutes. (You might want to open windows for the strong smell to air out!).
Shiitakes should be cool by now. Slice and bring frying/sauce pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil to coat the surface. Add shiitakes and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then add gochujang, chili powder (optional), and a dash of fish sauce (or soy sauce). Cook 3-5 minutes, flipping once or twice.
Break up tofu and add to broth. Prepare additional contents and add to broth. Bring broth back to boil. Add shiitake chili mix. Cook additional 5-7 minutes until all ingredients are cooked through. Taste to see if salt is needed.
Turn off heat and add eggs, breaking each lightly with a chopstick or fork in a ladle and letting the hot soup do the rest. Add garnishes (sesame oil drizzle, seaweed strips/furikake, green onions). Serve with steamed rice and banchan. Enjoy!
Nutrition Analysis
Number of servings per recipe: 8 Serving size: 15 oz Calories per serving: 186 Fat (grams) per serving: 9.5 Saturated fat (grams) per serving: 2.2 Cholesterol (mg) per serving: 100 Sodium (mg) per serving: 613 Potassium (mg) per serving: 754 Carbohydrates (grams) per serving: 10 Fiber (grams) per serving: 3 Sugar (grams) per serving: 2 Protein (grams) per serving: 17
