Soondubu jjigae is a classic Korean dish that I often make every time I crave a comforting and easy to make, protein packed meal. The delicious stew, mixed with soft tofu, crunchy vegetables, and egg yolk makes an amazing combo. Soondubu is definitely delicious, but is soondubu jjigae healthy?
Soondubu can be a very healthy dish given that it predominantly consists of protein from the soft tofu, meat and egg, and probiotics and nutrients from the kimchi and vegetables making it a very nutritious meal.
A serving of soondubu is 353 calories, with 38 grams of protein, 18 grams of fat, and 12 grams of carbs, following the recipe and portions below. However, the key to making this dish help rather than hinder progress towards your fitness goals is to mindfully select the mix-ins for the stew.
You can also pair this soup with a side of Spicy Chicken Bulgogi or traditional Dak bulgogi for a great protein side to go with this dish.
🍎 Calories and Nutrition Facts - Is It Healthy?
It’s easy to see that soondubu can easily be made to be a high calorie dish if the mix-ins for the stew are not chosen correctly, making it less than ideal for dieting purposes.
Additionally, it's easy to run the risk of not consuming enough protein if you don't add enough protein mix-ins.
In this recipe, I use a more protein heavy ratio to make this a more macro friendly and calorie conscious dish. Here are some key tweaks I made:
- Used 1 Soon Tofu pack, which adds 140 calories and 14 grams of protein
- Portioned 3 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken thigh for a lean protein source
- Added an egg for additional protein and deliciousness
- Bulked up the dish with vegetables including enoki mushrooms, garlic, kimchi and onions to make it more satisfying
- Portioned the soup base to be only 20 calories
- Omitted a side of rice. It's worth noting you can still make this recipe healthy with a side of rice - one portion of rice (¼ cup uncooked) is only about 150 calories so feel free to add this if it suits your dietary needs
For a detailed breakdown of each ingredients, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this Korean tofu stew recipe, you may refer to the table below:
📋 Ingredient Notes
Pulmone Soon Tofu Pack – I prefer this brand given the portion size is perfect for me. These can be found in most Asian grocery stores. You can also use the brick-shaped soft tofu packs which are more widely available but are often a bigger portion size, so be sure to account for the additional calories.
Gochugaru –This is a Korean red chili flake that can be purchased at most Asian grocery stores. Adjust based on spice tolerance. This amount will give you a mild spice. You can substitute this with red pepper flakes as well.
Anchovy stock granules – This can be purchased at your local Asian supermarket or online. You can also substitute it with dashi stock or chicken stock, but the flavor won't be quite the same.
Chicken thigh –You can also use chicken breast or seafood.
Kimchi – Essential for the flavor of the soondubu
Egg – Gives it a delicious creamy consistency
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
- Begin by cutting the chicken thigh into small, bite sized pieces, making sure to cut off the excess fat. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Mince the garlic and onion. Spray a saucepan with cooking spray and sauté the garlic, onion, kimchi, and sear the cut chicken pieces for about 1-2 minutes so that the aromatics begin to turn gold. The chicken pieces do not need to be fully cooked, just a light sear on the outside layers is fine.
- Pour the water into the sauce pan, along with the remaining soup base ingredients, the soft tofu, and any remaining vegetables, and bring to a boil. Let cook for about 3-5 minutes.
- In terms of adding the egg, you can also choose to add the egg towards the end of cooking the stew for a more fully cooked egg or opt for the more traditional way which cracks in the raw egg yolk after it is served.
- Remove the soondubu from the saucepan and top with scallions, sesame seeds, and chilis and egg yolk. Enjoy your delicious protein-packed soondubu jjigae!
💭 Recipe FAQs
Nope, soft tofu is not high in calories - a pack of Pulmone soon tofu runs at about 140 calories, with 14 grams of protein, which is approximately the same calorie density as chicken. Therefore, this makes soft tofu a great lean protein source.
BCD Tofu house, a well renowned soondubu chain restaurant, has began to sell BCD branded tofu packs and can be found at most Asian grocery stores. It comes with a pre-made soup base and tofu, so all you need to do is add in proteins, vegetables, and water. This makes the dish even easier and faster to put together! I would just note that the tofu that comes in the pack is a lot bigger than the Pulmone brand, so I would account for the additional calories and protein. If you want to minimize calorie intake, you can reduce the additional protein you mix in. You can also get them at various spice levels.
Soondubu is often served with rice, as well as a variety of banchan, or Korean side dishes. You can easily pair this recipe with 1 serving of rice for about 160 additional calories. With banchan, I would recommend opting for the vegetable based ones such as Kimchi and broccoli rather than those that are more carb heavy, such as potatoes. Or if you are making this at home, you can omit this alltogether to simplify the recipe. The stew itself is a hearty enough dish.
Soondubu can be served with a variety of other proteins including beef, pork, seafood, and mandu. However for purposes of keeping the calorie count of the dish low, I would recommend sticking with chicken or seafood. A leaner cut of beef is fine too but be aware of the higher calorie density.
🍽 Related Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like this recipe, consider a review further down the page. Thank you!
🍳 Recipe
Healthy Soondubu Jjigae
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 1 teaspoon Oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Gochugaru
- 1 cup Water
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Anchovy stock granules
Stew Mix-Ins
- 3 oz Chicken thigh (Boneless, skinless)
- 1-2 Mushrooms
- ¼ cup Kimchi
- 1 clove Garlic
- ¼ Onion
- 1 pack Pulmon Soon Tofu Pack
- Black pepped and salt (To taste)
- Sesame seeds, scallions, chilis (For garnish)
Instructions
- Begin by cutting the chicken thigh into small, bite sized pieces, making sure to cut off the excess fat. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Mince the garlic and onion. Spray a saucepan with cooking spray and sauté the garlic, onion, kimchi, and sear the cut chicken pieces for about 1-2 minutes so that the aromatics begin to turn gold. The chicken pieces do not need to be fully cooked, just a light sear on the outside layers is fine.
- Pour the water into the sauce pan, along with the remaining soup base ingredients, the soft tofu, and any remaining vegetables, and bring to a boil. Let cook for about 3-5 minutes.
- In terms of adding the egg, you can also choose to add the egg towards the end of cooking the stew for a more fully cooked egg or opt for the more traditional way which cracks in the raw egg yolk after it is served.
- Remove the soondubu from the saucepan and top with scallions, sesame seeds, and chilis and egg yolk. Enjoy your delicious protein-packed soondubu jjigae!
Sarah
Wow this is super informative! I always thought soondubu was heavy. Good to know it's mainly protein!