Soondubu jjigae is the only dish that I don’t make from scratch, because these BCD Tofu Soup Kits are SO good when you make it my way!
I have tried (and failed) to make soondubu from scratch that tastes as good as these soup kits. I am going to keep working on it, but in the meantime I am going to share how I elevate these soup kits to taste even better than the restaurant.
I love these soup kits not only for their amazing flavor, but also because they are SO easy to make!
What is soondubu jjigae?
First off, this is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE Korean soup dish! It’s a spicy tofu stew made with silken tofu, chili flakes, and various ingredients like meat and vegetables. It can also be made with seafood, dumplings, or no meat at all- the possibilities are really endless.
Soondubu jjigae’s robust and spicy flavors makes it a favorite comfort food in Korean cuisine, as I’m sure you have seen in almost every Kdrama out there! It is often served bubbling hot in an earthenware pot, with a bowl of steamed rice.
Ingredients
BCD Tofu Soup Kit- the soup kits come with silken tofu and a sauce packet. I recommend getting the regular HOT flavor, as this one tastes the best. There is an extra hot one, but in my opinion it doesn’t taste as good. You can find these at most Korean supermarkets, and sometimes at other Asian markets.
Protein– I recommend pork belly, but you can also use beef, chicken, seafood, dumplings, or just veggies.
Veggies- you can add any veggies you want! My go-to’s are usually enoki mushrooms, Korean zucchini, and chopped green onion for garnish.
- Serrano pepper- this is optional! I add serrano peppers to make it spicier and add a little flavor. This is my solution to getting the HOT flavor instead of EXTRA HOT (The EXTRA HOT one doesn’t taste as good).
Water or broth- it’s super important to only add 5 to 6 oz of water! It’s not going to seem like enough, but just trust the process. Optionally, you can use anchovy or chicken broth in place of water for an extra boost of flavor (but it’s still perfectly flavorful without it!)
- Egg– also optional! Most people crack a raw egg right into the piping hot soup and let it cook. I prefer to just let the whites cook and take out the yolk while it’s still runny, and spread it on my rice.
What is BCD?
BCD Tofu House (북창동 순두부) is a popular chain of Korean restaurants primarily located in Southern California. It specializes in serving traditional Korean dishes, with a focus on soondubu jjigae.
BCD Tofu House is known for its casual atmosphere, quick service, and flavorful Korean comfort food!
Back in the day, most BCD’s were open 24/7. This made it a very popular choice for young adults to go eat after clubbing. I miss those days!
What’s the recipe hack?
I’m going to need you to trust me when I say that this recipe tastes better than the restaurant, but only if you skip their instructions and make it my way.
Skip the instructions on the packet and follow me! Here are a few things I do differently to elevate the heck out of this soup kit:
Stir fry your protein with the sauce packet- to bring the most flavor out of the sauce packet, I found that stir frying it with beef or pork belly gives you the best results.
Get the HOT flavor and use serrano peppers to make it spicier- if you’re a spice lover like me, you’ll probably want to reach for the EXTRA HOT tofu kit. Don’t. It doesnt taste as good as the regular HOT for some reason! Instead, just add serrano peppers to the regular HOT packet to make it spicier.
Add only 5 to 6 oz of water- it’s not going to seem like enough water, but remember that tofu has a lot of water in it! If you add too much water to begin with, your soup will be BLAND.
- Use half of the amount of silken tofu provided- this is more of a preference thing. I think they give you too much tofu- half of the packet is just the right amount in my opinion (but feel free to add more if you prefer).
Soondubu jjigae wouldn’t be complete without a bowl of steamed rice! Here are a couple recipes on the blog for perfectly steamed rice:
More soup recipes
If you like this recipe, here are some other soup recipes on the blog that you can try!
Soondubu Jjigae (BCD Tofu Kit)
Ingredients
- 1 BCD Tofu Kit
- 5 oz water about 2/3 cup
- 4 oz pork or beef thinly sliced I recommend pork belly
- 1 serrano pepper spicy, optional
- 2 oz zucchini
- 2 oz enoki mushroom
- 1 egg
- 1 green onion garnish, optional
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients before you start cooking! Cut your zucchini, serrano pepper, enoki mushroom, and green onion. Then measure out exactly 5 oz of water and set aside.
- In a small pot, stir fry the pork belly over medium heat until it's no longer pink on the outside. Note: pork belly has a decent amount of fat so I do not use any oil, but you can use a little bit if your protein is sticking too much to the pot.
- Next add the BCD sauce packet directly on top of the partially cooked pork belly. Stir fry the sauce with the pork for about 1 minute. Careful not to burn the sauce too much- lower the heat if needed.
- Add the sliced serrano pepper if using, and continue stir frying another 30 seconds.
- Add the 5 oz of water and mix until combined. It might not seem like enough water, but just trust the process! Soft tofu already has a lot of water, which will be added later.
- Cover and reduce heat to medium low for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and only HALF of the soft tofu. Cover and let it simmer for another 3-4 minutes. *You can add the whole box of tofu if you want, but in my opinion it's too much. You can save the other half to make a silken tofu side dish or something else.
- Crack an egg right into the soup and top with chopped green onion. Serve right away with fresh steamed rice!
