Sundubu Jjigae with Prawns and Egg (32g Protein)

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Sundubu jjigae is the fastest stew I know. Soft tofu, prawns, and a cracked egg in a gochugaru broth comes to 32g of protein per bowl, and the whole pot takes about 25 minutes. Soft tofu alone does not get you there, which is why this version leans on the prawns and eggs to carry the number.

It looks like a restaurant dish because of the bubbling red broth, but the broth is just chili flakes bloomed in oil plus stock. There is no secret.

Why this works

The flavor base is gochugaru fried in oil for under a minute. That step turns dusty chili flakes into a glossy red chili oil and it is the difference between sundubu and sad tofu soup. The protein math is a team effort: soft tofu runs about 5g per 100g, so the prawns at roughly 20g per 100g and an egg per bowl do the heavy lifting while the tofu provides the texture the dish is named for.

Ingredient notes

Gochugaru is coarse Korean chili flake, mildly fruity rather than punishing. Do not swap in gochujang, which is a sweetened paste, or crushed red pepper, which is mostly heat. Sundubu comes in soft plastic tubes in Korean grocers; supermarket silken tofu works fine, just scoop it gently. Frozen raw prawns are the practical choice and usually better quality than the thawed ones at the counter. For another fast egg-based soup, my egg drop soup with shredded chicken uses the same crack-it-in finish.

Sundubu Jjigae with Prawns and Egg

Korean soft tofu stew loaded with prawns and finished with a cracked egg, 32g of protein per bowl from one pot.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4 bowls

Calories: 300

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 700 g sundubu (Korean extra soft tofu) 2 tubes, or soft silken tofu
• 350 g raw prawns, peeled and deveined about 12 oz, thawed if frozen
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp gochugaru Korean chili flakes, not gochujang
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce or another tbsp of soy sauce
• 500 ml chicken or anchovy stock about 2 cups
• 100 g mushrooms or zucchini sliced, optional
• 2 scallions sliced

Method

 

1. Heat the neutral oil and sesame oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 2 minutes until it softens.
2. Add the gochugaru and garlic and stir constantly for 30 to 45 seconds. The flakes should bloom in the oil and turn it brick red. Do not let them darken past that or the stew tastes burnt.
3. Pour in the stock, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Add the mushrooms or zucchini if using. Bring to a boil.
4. Spoon the sundubu into the pot in big rough scoops. Do not stir it smooth; the soft curds are the point. Simmer 4 minutes.
5. Drop in the prawns and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, just until they curl and turn pink. They keep cooking in the hot broth, so pull the pot off the heat the moment they look barely done.
6. Crack the eggs straight into the bubbling stew, one per serving. Cover for 1 minute for set whites and runny yolks, or stir them through for an egg drop texture.
7. Top with scallions and serve with rice.

Tips and storage

This stew is best the day you make it because prawns overcook on reheating. If you are meal prepping, make the broth base through step 4, refrigerate up to 3 days, then boil and add prawns and eggs fresh; they take 4 minutes. If you want a tofu dish that holds up across the week instead, mapo tofu with extra lean pork actually improves overnight, and the crispy sambal tofu bowls are built for containers.

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