This non-spicy Korean tofu soup, or sundubu jjigae, is warm and comforting, and perfect for the entire family to enjoy, especially babies and toddlers. It's super simple to make and will be ready on your table in under 30 minutes.
What is Sundubu Jjigae?
Sundubu jjigae is a very popular Korean soup made with silken/extra soft tofu. It is normally served piping hot and is quite spicy. If you want a good sweat, this will do just that!
However, since I focus on baby and toddler-friendly recipes, here's a non-spicy version that is super easy to make with simple ingredients. Because there aren't a lot of seasonings, the natural nuttiness of the tofu really shines through in this dish!
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Ingredients
Silken/extra soft tofu. You will find two types of soft tofu at the Asian grocery store - packaged in a square container or a long tube. I personally prefer the tube because it's easy to squeeze into the pot.
You can also add it to this creamy sweet potato sauce!
Dashima or dried kelp. You don't need much and it really helps deepen the broth flavor. You'll have a lot leftover, and I like to store mine in the freezer. If you want to make Korean soups/stews, dashima is a must ingredient to have on hand.
You can also use it to make this low sodium teriyaki sauce!
Sesame oil and seeds. As you can see in the recipe, there aren't a lot of seasonings in this dish other than a tiny amount of soy sauce. In my opinion, this is the star ingredient! It truly helps bring out the nuttiness. If your child is allergic to sesame, you can substitute with perilla oil and seeds. It has an earthy, slightly minty flavor.
Mushrooms. You can choose whatever variety you prefer. We personally LOVE enoki mushrooms so that's what we use. However, it does have a slightly chewy texture even after cooked so if serving to your baby, be sure to chop them up into tiny pieces with scissors.
Egg. If there's an egg allergy you can leave it out. But if not, HIGHLY recommended. It adds a lovely richness to the stew.
Here's everything you need to know about tofu
Step By Step Instructions
Add the dashima and sliced onion to a pot with water. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Remove the dashima.
Add the veggies, tofu, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Then stir in the sesame seeds. Cook for another minute or two.
Whisk one egg into the soup and cook for about a minute. Drizzle sesame oil, top with fresh green onions, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This baby-friendly Korean soup is great with rice or noodles. Nothing beats white rice, but if you want to pack in more nutrients and variety, give this multigrain rice with beans and lentils a try!
And if you're looking for another soup recipe with beef, try this Korean radish soup/
Just like with any Korean dish, kimchi is a great accompaniment. I get asked all the time when it's safe to give to babies. You can introduce as early as 6 months, but there's no rush.
You can wait until around 8-9 months when your baby has had greater exposure to textures. Kimchi is a great source of probiotics so I recommend giving it a go!
Some tips: Look for kimchi that has the lowest sodium. Rinse to remove the spiciness and the salt. Finely chop and serve on its own or mixed into other foods.
Other Baby-Friendly Asian Dishes
- Beef vegetable rice porridge
- Healthy Korean Ground Beef and Broccoli Quinoa
- Instant Pot Korean Chicken and Potatoes
- Orange Sesame Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Meatball Stir-Fry
- Korean Japchae
- Korean Bulgogi
- Bibimbap with Beet Sauce
Looking for more baby-friendly recipes that the entire family can enjoy? My cookbooks are packed with quick and easy, veggie-forward, freezer-friendly recipes!
Non-Spicy Korean Tofu Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pieces of dashima (2x2 inch squares)
- 2 cups water (can add another cup if prefer more liquid)
- 1 medium onion, sliced into half moon shapes
- 1 pack mushrooms (enoki is esp. good!)
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced
- 2 (11 ounces) extra soft or silken tofu
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- a pinch of black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
Instructions
- Add dashima and onion to pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling for 5-7 minutes. Remove dashima.
- Add zucchini, mushroom, soondubu, garlic, soy sauce and pepper to pot. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds and boil for another 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk one egg into soup and cook for about 1 minute.
- Drizzle sesame oil over soup and finish with chopped green onion prior to turning heat off.
Helene says
My 5 year old liked this soup! I made some substitutions though. I didn’t have dashima so I substituted 1 tbsp dulse flakes. I also used vegetable broth instead of water. I used red pepper instead of zucchini. And I added extra garlic and soy sauce
Min says
I'm so glad you guys enjoyed this recipe! Love all the substitutions too!
Cynthia says
Delish!!! What other veggies would be good in this?
Min says
For this recipe, I wouldn't load up on veggies. You can try adding Korean radish or napa cabbage!
Tiffany M says
Hi Min! We are looking forward to making this recipe. What kind of sesame seeds should we use - white non-toasted? Thank you!
Min says
I like toasted as it has more flavor but if non-toasted is what you have, it will be fine!
Sanna says
I actually made this for my partner's birthday. He loved it and we had such a lovely meal together ❤️
Min says
So happy to hear!! Thank you for sharing!
Donna Jorgensen says
Hi there!
Thank you for this recipe. I made it and it was a nice change from my usual white soondubu recipe with powdered perilla seeds. One thing...it would be really helpful if you could give a measure for the quantity of mushrooms since you said we can use any kind of mushroom, and mushroom package sizes vary greatly. A weight measure would be most helpful.
Again, thank you!
Donna
Min says
Thanks for the feedback! Honestly, you don't have to be too precise with the amount for mushroom - 6-8 ounces will be good
Ashley says
This has become one of our family’s go-to recipes!! So thankful for this one. This is great right now especially as my son recovers from a stomach bug.
Min says
I'm so glad this is nourishing him during this tough time. Hope he feels better soon!
Lily says
This is one of my daughter's favorite meals. Thank you for your amazing recipes!
Jennifer says
Just realized this calls for 2 packages of tofu! Would you substitute with more of the other ingredients? Or would it be best to just halve the recipe?
Min says
Tofu really is the star of this dish. I would half the recipe
Susie says
Hi Min
If we don’t have silken/soft tofu but have firm tofu, can we use that instead? It’s been hard to go out for groceries so that’s all we have!
Min says
You'll be able to but then no longer becomes sundubu. Definitely give it a try again once you can get your hands on it 😉
Cheryl says
Hi Min! Thank you for sharing this recipe! So excited to try 🙂 How would you recommend serving this soup to 8month old baby (in a baby led way)? She can't really use a spoon for soup yet. Would I just dish out the veggies and have her eat it?
Min says
You can or add some rice or other cooked grains/pasta so can absorb some of the soup. you can preload the spoon and hand it to her
Cheryl says
Great, thank you! We tried it today and she loved it 😊
Min says
So glad to hear!!
Bernice says
Hi! Thanks for the recipe!
Is the soy sauce ok To include for an 8m old baby?
Min says
You're welcome! A little bit is ok especially since the amount listed is for the whole dish and your baby will have a very small portion of it. But if you don't want to use it at all for your baby then you can set aside a portion for your baby and then add the soy sauce to the rest