Soondubu-jjigae

A bubbling, intensely spiced stew built around silken soft tofu, clams or pork, and a vivid gochugaru broth.

Soondubu-jjigae is named for soondubu, the uncurdled, freshly pressed tofu that barely holds its shape — slippery, silken, and almost custardy in texture — which dissolves into the fiery anchovy-based broth in soft, yielding curds. The dish is believed to have been popularised in the port city of Busan, where abundant seafood made it natural to add clams, oysters, or shrimp, and it later spread across Korea in countless restaurant variations. A defining ritual is the raw egg cracked directly into the stew at the table; diners stir it in themselves or let it poach gently in the residual heat, creating a silky ribbon of cooked egg throughout the bowl. Served in a small cast-iron or earthenware pot that arrives still violently boiling, the stew demands patience — and yet the steam alone, fragrant with sesame oil and gochugaru, makes waiting almost impossible. Korean Americans took the dish to Los Angeles's Koreatown, where sundubu restaurants became an institution and introduced generations of non-Koreans to the pleasure of a crackling-hot pot. The combination of delicate tofu against the aggressive, brick-red broth is one of Korea's most beloved contrasts.