Spicy Chodang Sundubu Jjamppong Recipe/Korean Soft Tofu Soup with a Chinese Twist Inspired by Gangneung

 

Hi everyone, it’s Hyeng Butler! 💚

Today, I made a special dish inspired by Gangneung — one of Korea’s most popular travel destinations — where you can find this famous Sundubu Jjamppong!
You’ve probably heard of sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew), but have you ever tried sundubu jjamppong before? 🍜
It’s a spicy yet mild soup made with Chodang sundubu, a very soft and silky tofu that melts perfectly into the broth.
So, I’m happily inviting you into my kitchen once again — let’s start cooking!

 ✨

💀👻👽👾👿💜💚

🍜 Ingredients for Chodang Sundubu Jjamppong (3 servings)

• (All measurements use a standard tablespoon unless noted)
• 2 green onions (about 15 cm / 6 in each)
• 3 tbsp chili oil
• 1 splash of cooking wine (for defrosting seafood)
• 1 handful of frozen mixed seafood
• 7 shrimp
• ½ handful of frozen scallops
• ½ tbsp oyster sauce
• ½ onion
• 75 g fresh wood ear mushrooms
• A dash of vinegar (to sterilize the mushrooms)
• 400 ml water
• 3 beef bone broth coins (or soup base cubes)
• ½ tbsp Hwayu(Korean Fire-Flavored Oil)
• ¼ tbsp chicken stock powder
• 3 heaping tbsp fine Korean red pepper powder (gochugaru)
• 750 g Chodang soft tofu
• 　(or 450 g Chodang tofu + 300 g regular soft tofu)
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper, 10 grinds
• A small amount of chopped chives (for garnish, 5 cm pieces)

😁😍😎😗😘😜

🥢 Step 1. Preparing the Fresh Wood Ear Mushrooms

First, let’s get the wood ear mushrooms ready!
Rinse 75g of fresh wood ear mushrooms under running water, gently rubbing them with your hands to remove any dirt.
Then, soak them in 300ml of water with a small splash of vinegar for about 2 minutes.
After soaking, trim off the white stem ends and cut the mushrooms in half.
Finally, pat them dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
✨ Soaking them in vinegar helps sanitize and clean the mushrooms even better!

🦐 Step 2. Defrosting and Prepping the Seafood

Add 1 splash of cooking wine to a handful of frozen mixed seafood, 7 shrimp, and ½ handful of frozen scallops.
Stir gently as they defrost in the water — the cooking wine helps remove any fishy smell and brings out a light natural sweetness in the seafood.
Let them sit for about 5 minutes, then rinse once under clean water and pat completely dry with a paper towel.
✨ This step makes your broth taste cleaner and deeper!

“If you don’t want to use too many types of seafood, just go with frozen mixed seafood — it’s perfectly fine!”

🧅 Step 3. Prepping the Vegetables

Next, prepare the green onions and chives!

About one small bundle of chives (the size of a 50-won coin stack) is enough.

We’ll stir-fry the white parts of the chives together with the green onions, and use the green tops later for garnish — just like in the famous Gangneung restaurants! 💚

Cut the chives into 5 cm (2 inch) pieces, dice ½ an onion into 1 cm cubes,

and slice two 15 cm (6 inch) green onions thinly.

🌶 Step 4. Getting the Seasonings Ready

Now, let’s prepare the seasonings!

You’ll need:

3 tbsp chili oil, ½ tbsp oyster sauce, 3 beef bone broth coins,

3 heaping tbsp fine Korean red pepper powder (gochugaru),

¼ tbsp chicken stock powder, and ½ tbsp “Hwayu”(Korean Fire-Flavored Oil).

✨ Hwayu adds that irresistible smoky “wok flavor,”

so you can enjoy the same depth of taste at home that you’d get from a restaurant!

If you don’t have chicken stock powder, you can simply replace it with a bit of seasoned salt(matsogum).

🥣 Step 5. Choosing and Mixing the Tofu

For this recipe, I used 450g of Chodang soft tofu and added another 300g of regular soft tofu, lightly mashed.
There’s definitely a difference in texture — regular tofu feels a bit mushy,
while Chodang tofu keeps its fine, silky texture even in the hot broth.

You can mix them like I did, or just use two packs of the same Chodang tofu.
There’s also a product literally called “Chodang Sundubu” (600g pack) — that one works perfectly too!

💡 Don’t throw away the tofu water!
We’ll use it later for the soup base.

The tofu I used wasn’t sponsored — it’s my own pick!
It’s called “Monggeul Monggeul Old-style Tofu” by Pulmuone,
and honestly, it tastes just like the famous Chodang tofu from Gangneung! 😋

Regular soft tofu usually stays plain inside, even when simmered — but once you mash it, every bite gets seasoned perfectly. That’s the secret to making it extra delicious! 💚

🍲 Step 6. Let’s Start Cooking!

Now that the tofu’s ready, shall we start cooking? 😋

Heat a nonstick pot over medium heat, then add 3 tablespoons of chili oil.

Add the white parts of the green onion and chives, and sauté them until they turn light golden brown — this brings out a fragrant pa-gireum (green onion oil) base.

Once the oil is infused with that rich aroma,

add the defrosted seafood mix, shrimp, and scallops (make sure they’re patted completely dry),

then stir-fry with ½ tablespoon of oyster sauce.

Cook until the seafood is about half done, and then… (next step coming up!) 💚

🍳 Step 7. Building the Broth Base

Add the diced onion and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until it softens and turns slightly translucent.

Then pour in 400 ml of water and let it come to a gentle boil.

🔥 Step 8. Seasoning the Soup

Next, add 3 beef bone broth coins, ½ tablespoon smoky oil (Hwayu),

¼ tablespoon chicken stock powder, and 3 tablespoons of fine red pepper powder (gochugaru).

Turn the heat to high and let everything boil until the broth coins are fully dissolved.

Once it starts bubbling nicely, lower the heat to low and let it simmer gently. 💨

🍶 Step 9. Adding the Tofu and Finishing the Stew

Once the broth cubes are fully dissolved, add 750g of Chodang soft tofu — including the tofu water!
Simmer over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then add the wood ear mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes until the soup slightly thickens.
At this point, it’s almost done! 😋

You can also mix 450g of Chodang tofu with 300g of regular soft tofu,
or simply use one 600g pack of Chodang Sundubu — whichever you have works perfectly. 💚

🧂 Step 10. Final Touch!

Finish it off with 10 grinds of black pepper,

and adjust the seasoning with a pinch of salt to taste —

and just like that, it’s completely done! 😋✨

"Hyeng Butler… the one who can stop time?"

🍽 Step 11. Plating Time!

Hehe, it’s plating time again — the moment that never dies and always returns! 😆✨
I served my “Jjamsuni” (sundubu jjamppong) in a flower-shaped brass bowl
and topped it with a few chopped chives for color.
The tablecloth has a little retro vibe, just for fun — what do you think? 💚

And today’s tasting guest is… Buriburi Zaemon from Crayon Shin-chan! 🐷
So, Buriburi, how does it taste? 😋

"Slurp... hmm?
It’s nicely mild yet spicy — I can’t stop eating it! 🍜
The chives are crunchy, the seafood is rich,
and the whole flavor feels so luxurious.

I’ve been craving something like this ever since autumn began…
Thank you for making it, Hyeng Butler! 💚"

— Buriburi Zaemon 🐷

🍁 Hyeng Butler’s Autumn Note

Hehe, Buriburi~ You know what? There are actually lots of Koreans who crave this dish as soon as autumn comes around! 😋
So I hope you’ll give this recipe a try — slurp it up nice and warm!

As for the tofu behind story… I first added 450g of Chodang sundubu (with its water) for the photo,
but since the portion looked a bit small, I mashed up another 300g of regular soft tofu and mixed it in —
so in total, it turned out to be 750g! 😂
If you’re curious, try mixing the two like I did!

Normally, regular soft tofu doesn’t absorb much seasoning,
but once it’s mashed like that, the flavor really soaks in — pure perfection! 💚
Adding more tofu made it taste just like the ones in Gangneung!

If you want to go all Chodang style,
you can use the “Real Chodang Sundubu” brand (600g) or simply add two packs of the one I used.

And with that… I’ll say goodbye for now! ㅎㅅㅎ
Thank you so much for reading my post with such care —
I hope bright, happy days rise for all of you! 🌞

See you in the next recipe — Ppyong!!! >ㅁ< 💚

Recipe Source: hyeng butler's Korean food blog

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