Doenjang Jjigae Recipe: Korean Soybean Paste Stew

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! It's Yul from KVIBE IDOLS. If kimchi jjigae is the spicy friend, doenjang jjigae is the warm, comforting friend. Korean soybean paste stew.

Doenjang is fermented soybean paste. Families used to make it at home every year, in big clay pots called onggi, lined up in the yard.

Let's cook. Make a simple broth first. Put a few dried anchovies and a square of kelp in three cups of water, boil it for ten minutes, then take them out.

Stir in two big spoons of doenjang until it melts. Add cubed potato, onion and zucchini, and let them boil for five minutes. Then add mushrooms, a little minced garlic, and one green chili.

Now the tofu. Cut half a block into cubes and slide it in gently. Boil for three more minutes. Taste it. Too salty? Add water. Not deep enough? A tiny bit more paste.

Yul's tip! Add one spoon of gochujang too, and a few clams if you have them. And always serve it bubbling hot, next to rice. In Korea, the stew goes in the middle and everyone shares. Masitge deuseyo!