We gathered around the table and it was the first meal that felt alive since we moved. The heat stung our lips, but it also eased something we had not realized we were carrying: the exhaustion from adjusting in a completely new environment. At that moment, I remembered a line my grandma used to say when cooking this stew. She once said tofu absorbs everything around it without losing its shape. This felt like a perfect description of what our family was doing. We were learning to absorb a new culture and life in America while trying to hold onto the flavor of where we came from. 

Soondubu (soft tofu) is more than just a meal. At Hanjip Korean Grill House, chefs describe Korean stews or jjigae as a dish rooted in community and its history can be traced back to ancient Korea, where families gathered around boiling stews for comfort and connection (Hanjip). The soft tofu inside soondubu jjigae also carries its own health benefits. According to a study in Medicine, tofu is one of the most balanced sources of nutrition, consisting of all nine essential amino acids with calcium and ion, offering lower cholesterol level and reducing the risk of heart diseases (Eze et.al.). 

Years later, when I came across Bryan Washington’s article on soondubu jjigae, it felt like someone was finally describing the thing I’d never been able to explain. Washington also grew up in Houston, and the way he wrote about heat and how it twists familiar flavors into something new reminded me of our first bowl in our Texas kitchen. He wrote, “The heat echoed the flavors that I’d grown up with and contorted them” (Washington). Reading his words, I realized he was capturing exactly how I felt that night. The stew tasted like what I grew up with, but also slightly different in our new home in Texas. 

When I make soondubu jjigae myself, I follow my mom and grandma’s rhythm: garlic first, then gochugaru, tofu at the end. I wait until the stew boils fiercely before serving it. When the sound of soondubu jjigae fills the room, it reminds me of home both in Seoul and Texas. No matter how far from home, this bubbling heat and smell will never fail to make me feel like home.