Alright, Korean food lovers, I need backup here.
Every single time I hit up a Korean spot, I get stuck on the same impossible decision:
- Kimchi jjigae – spicy, tangy, and always reliable
- Doenjang jjigae – earthy, savory, straight-up comfort food
- Sundubu jjigae – soft tofu heaven, especially when that egg drops in
And of course, someone always says, “Forget all that, it’s gotta be budae-jjigae” or some other wild card. 😂
So let’s settle this once and for all:
Which one truly deserves the jjigae crown?
- Kimchi jjigae
- Doenjang jjigae
- Sundubu jjigae
- Something else (surprise us)
What about you all? Drop your vote (and your reasons) in the comments.
Let’s see where this sub stands.
by GrabNo1162
27 Comments
1. 2 is close but I always come back to 1, no matter the season or weather.
Sundubu jjigae with seafood for me if I’m going out to eat.
Sundubu jjigae has my heart. It is warm and comforting. Every single time I have it I think “Damn that was so good”.
1 and 2 are dead even for me. Just depends on the day which one I prefer
Allow me to nominate Gochujang-jjigae as one of the best. Lately, this is what I cook at home. I love the gochujang-forward flavor, especially when absorbed into the tofu. Just writing about this is making my mouth water 🤤
Sundubu jjigae!!
I dont think anything beats kimchi jjigae simmered for a long time with pork ribs.
ahrr jigae!!!!
Kimchi jiggae for me, with a bowl of rice on the side. My favourite way to eat tofu.
As a personal meal – I always go for yuk gae jang. Dump in rice and I’m solid.
Kimchi jjigae for the easiest home cooking
Doenjang jiggae for when you’re having kbbq
Soondubu is that one dish that no restaurant anywhere internationally tends to not fk up
Budae all the way! It’s my go to when I’m starving and I want to hate myself afterwards.
Doenjang. Easy. Always agreeable and always slaps.
Kimchi jiggae is also great but it’s always a flings the coin of it’s going to give me heartburn.
Doenjang also helps my hangovers more than kimchi so 🤷♀️
I make the best kimchi and doenjang jjigae. Sundubu is more difficult to nail at home cause you need a goooooood broth.
Doenjang jjigae is the best ever! I can eat it once a week
Since it seems from the other comments that we’re including yukgaejang, I’m gonna have to go with that. Extra spicy like my mom makes it.
Otherwise, it’s really a toss-up between kimchi and doenjang for me on favorite. I probably eat doenjang jjigae more often though, with a little gochujang thrown in there too for spice.
Not a Korean but living in Cali. Is Doejenjang jiggae is too salty for me. Is it normally that salty? Or am I just eating at the wrong places?
gochujang jjigae!!!
to me its like a more addicitive kimchi jjigae, can never get enough 🤤
I love me some kimchi jjigae. I’ve yet to make it a popular yet underrated classic way. Where when mothers & wives make kimchi, there would be a single container where they store the kimchi but wrap a whole head of freshly made kimchi around a nice slab of pork belly & let it ferment. Until it is time you want to make kimchi jjigae with that whole head of kimchi & that pork belly. It sounds so delicious.
The other kimchi jjigae I’ve yet to attempt, once I’m able to make the kimchi. Is making kimchi jjigae that has had oysters & squid fermented with. Seafood kimchi jjigae.
Ugh, typing all that made me hungry.
순두부 is definitely not this tier….. I’d say #3 should go to 부대찌개
Sundubu for me, hands down. Nothing beats that moment when the raw egg hits the bubbling tofu stew—it’s comfort food at another level.
Sundubu jjigae forever!!! The silkiness of the tofu with the creaminess of a soft boiled egg plus a killer broth is already a mouth party, and then you can add in so many variations, like kimchi, mandu, spam & cheese, beef, seafood mix, just shrimp, just clam, curry, extra veggies, omg now I’m hungry, hahaha. I love kimchi jjigae & doenjang jjigae, too, but sundubu is my happy place
Kimchi Jjigae is my favorite, it’s one of the only meals I will audibly say, “oh my gosh this is so good” multiple times. 😂
2nd place is Sundubu, I really enjoy the soft tofu.
3rd is Doenjang, I enjoy it but would not eat it multiple times a week like I would Kimchi Jjigae.
What about the busan pork soup? Or does it not have enough thinhs to jjgae with it?
My personal favorite is kimchi jjigae, but I’ve never had one in a restaurant that’s as good as what my mom makes.
A dark horse candidate is kongbiji jjigae.
Too much hassle to make at home, so it’s a nice treat if I can find it in a restaurant.
Doenjjang jiggae is classic, nostalgic and sentimental.
Doenjang jigae. But not all doenjang are created equal. If you don’t have homemade doenjang, buy the freezer doenjang.
Doenjang jigae is so hearty with all the potato and zucchini, onions and tofu, mushrooms if I have it. Even better if you add meat a little beef to it too. That funky fragrant stank has me in a chokehold. So good on rice. For anyone saying it’s not spicy enough, add extra fresh pepper or two. Have a green chile on the side to dip into doenjang/ssamjang. Just because the pepper is green doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a kick. Not everything needs gochujang added to it. I love gochujang, but I don’t want it anywhere near my doenjang. It’s already in everything else.
Kimchi Jjigae is goated. No question. Doenjang jjigae is close runner up. Sundubu is amazing too but is a lil bro to the other two.
I could probably eat kimchi jjigae like 4x a week without getting tired of it. Pork shoulder or belly? Or maybe mix it up and toss tuna in there?
Use some mugunjee kimchi to make it extra rich. Say fuck it and marramokguh w rice. So many options.
Now a good doenjang jjigae is a solid contender. I’d honestly probably could eat that everyday. But that doesn’t mean it’s better than kimchi jjigae. Analogous to its lighter japanese cousin miso soup, it’s a solid every man’s everyday type stew. But it doesn’t slap me in the face with tangy spicy goodness like kimchi jjigae. It’s stinkier more retarded cousin Chungook jjang is superior in that regard, my hot take.
Sundubu jjigae is bussin. Similar to kimchi jjigae in its spiciness but w soft tofu as its main feature. I’m a texture guy as much as a flavor guy. There just something about the silken tenderness of sudubu that just HITS. Man.. I’d never pass up Crab 🦀 Sundubu jjigae on hot summer day. Nothing like sweating indoors after sweating outdoors.