Kimchi Soondubu Jjigae Recipe (2024)

just a note if you're vegetarian: most commercially available kimchi is NOT (using shrimp, fish sauce or oysters) so seek out vegetarian kimchi or make your own.

If you live anywhere near a Korean grocery store like H-Mart, buying a couple stone bowls/pots (like they kind they serve soondubu in at Korean restaurants) is an extremely worthy investment. They're inexpensive and indispensable. And your food (Korean or not) stays hot for a really long time. Super handy, especially if you often cook for one.

I made 1/2 the recipe, substituting gochujang for the gochugaru, a tsp of roasted garlic better than bouillon for the kimchee juice and regular soy sauce for the low salt soy sauce (I didn't have either gochugaru, kimchee juice or low salt soy sauce). I was afraid there might not be enuff flavor and added a 1/4-1/3 cup of pulled pork at the end of cooking. The resulting stew was SO delicious and I will definitely make it again. Thank you!

Made this for dinner with the poached eggs and it was a HUGE hit! Definitely a keeper. Made the recipe exactly as written. We used a (mother in law brand) vegan kimchi and it was sensational, but next time will definitely use the same brand but the version with fish or shrimp… or we will add in 1 tbsp red boat fish sauce or a squeeze of anchovy paste along with the kombu broth. But the best bet is probably to just use a kimchi with fish.

Omg. Made this tonight with Japanese kimchi one of my students gave me. I am blown away. I’m just so happy right now.

One small but significant addition I made based on other recipes I saw online was to add about 1 tsp of sesame oil on top of each serving after dividing it into individual bowls. It added a little extra complexity and helped make it even more delicious.

I planned to make this as written, and then realized I had 3 or 4 cups of leftover hot & sour soup with shiitakes--so I started from there. Added some kombu broth for volume, used a quite spicy and well-fermented homemade kimchi, and added the remaining ingredients as specified. Loved it with the poached eggs--my tip is to crack each egg into a small bowl and then slip it into the hot broth. No risk of introducing egg shell into the soup, and the trip into the broth is much gentler.

Kimchi is a very assertive flavor, and different brands range from delicious to inedible for some people. Try them out before committing to a whole recipe, or make your own so you can control the balance between the elements. It really is worth it once you nail down your favorite.

Had no kelp around, but had nori sheets. Crumbled them into boiling water, added dried shiitakes, simmered and then steeped while preparing everything else. Quick vegan dashi did the trick.

Another option for a vegan broth is 3-4 T. of Korean miso (doenjang). You can skip step 1 if you like, and start with step 2. Instead of adding "reserved kelp broth" add plain water and cook until vegetables and tofu are done to your liking. Put about 3T. miso in a bowl, stir in 1/4-1/2 c. water a little at a time, and then stir the thinned miso paste back into the soup (don't let it boil to preserve the probiotics).

I used about 3 tablespoons of wakame (Japanese kelp pieces) because I did not have square konbu, did not know if that translated into one square but it was a good amount. I left the seaweed in because it softens up nicely and pieces are thin enough to be spoonable. Get ya some extra nutrition.

Used broccoli instead of zucchini, a dried seaweed packet, and only a pound of tofu. It was OK immediately after making but so much better on night two after the flavors had melded.

I think this really hinges on your kimchi. This was a three star dish for me, but my kimchi was pretty mild. I’ll try to find something much more pungent if there’s a next time.

Can anyone suggest a good brand of VEGETARIAN kimchi to try? I am a pretty adventurous eater, love sauerkrauts and spicy Korean food, but I have never found a kimchi I like! What do you recommend?

1 heaping tbs gojujang instead of gojugaru. Add any other veggies.

Appreciated the suggestion to add fish sauce if using vegetarian kimchi. I had not realized that I picked up a vegetarian version and the fish sauce addition added exactly the right umami punch needed.

My local Asian grocery didn't have sheets of kombu, so I had to use shredded. Approximated how much would make a 6in piece. Increased the mushrooms. Found the end result significantly lacking depth of flavor. Perhaps the kombu needed to be simmered longer or I needed to have used more. Added about a tbsp of mushroom powder and another tbsp of soy sauce. That helped. Made it on Sunday for dinner on Wednesday and expected the flavors to develop even more but it was more bland than on Sunday.

Very brothy...too much for me. I won't make this again.

Kimchi often includes shrimp paste. If you are a vegetarian (or allergic like me) check the label

Made it as written and it was delicious. Next time I’ll use 4 cups of Kombu broth instead of 6, or let it simmer longer before adding the veggies so it cooks down. I prefer my jigae more stew-like. Otherwise, a total hit!

Add cilantro, sesame oil, extra soy, extra garlic and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Replaced gujugaru and gojuchang 1:1. Added green beans.

Excellent recipe. Different brands of kimchi can vary in their spice level so I’d taste the kimchi and reduce/increase the gojugaru accordingly. In my case I replaced gojugaru with gojuchang based on another review. It deepened the flavor. Also added a drizzle of sesame oil at the end. The stock tastes better if you also add some radish (peeled) and dried anchovy (got those at h mart).

Didn’t need all of the tofu. Would have been fine with 1 package instead of 1.5. Added 4 oz. of shiitake mushrooms to the 8 oz. of cremini. Boiled the kombu in mushroom broth instead of water. The outcome was delicious.

Amazing. Unreal. Best breakfast ever.I used both cabbage kimchi and radish kimchi, so I could get two kinds of crunch. Instead of just kombu, I used two dashi teabags with katsuoboshi flakes. I doubled the mushrooms, and only used one container of tofu. This ended up making six servings, which freezes well in my opinion (I think freezing tofu brings out more of its flavor). If your diet allows for it, do not skip cracking an egg in there!