Sundubu-jjigae

Sundubu-jjigae is uncurdled, silky soft tofu simmered in a fiery seafood or pork broth until it barely holds its shape. It is one of the gentlest textures in Korean cooking hiding inside one of its spiciest broths, arriving at the table still bubbling.

What it really is

Sundubu — extra-soft, uncurdled tofu that never had its whey pressed out — goes into a broth built hot with gochugaru and often seafood or pork for depth, ladled straight from the pot while it's still at a full boil. The tofu is barely handled, spooned into the pot in soft, uneven curds that hold together just long enough to reach the bowl before starting to fall apart.

The tofu is the softest form used in Korean cooking, not a substitute for firm tofu. Sundubu has never been pressed, which is what gives it a texture closer to custard than the firmer cubes used in most other tofu dishes — using firm tofu instead misses the entire point of the stew.

How it is served

• Still boiling, in the stone or metal pot it was cooked in.
• With a raw egg cracked in at the table, cooking gently in the residual heat.
• With rice on the side, never mixed directly into the stew.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the soy and, if seafood is used in the broth, the shellfish.
• Warn that it arrives extremely hot, since the pot keeps boiling well after it leaves the kitchen.
• Note that confidence on the nutrition figures is low, since the broth-to-tofu ratio and the seafood or pork used vary substantially.