Doenjang jjigae
One of the staples of Korean home cooking, eaten with a bowl of rice. It is a thick stew of fermented doenjang soybean paste, cooked in an anchovy and kombu stock, with tofu, courgette, potato and mushrooms. Doenjang is earthier and bolder than Japanese miso. Miso is usually added at the end, whereas doenjang is simmered with the vegetables, so its flavour goes right through the stew. It is served bubbling, straight from the pot, with rice and side dishes.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Anchovy and kombu stock 15 min
- Chopping 10 min
- Cooking the vegetables 15 min
- Tofu 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneMake the stock
Put the anchovies and kombu in cold water, bring to the boil and simmer 10 minutes. Take out the kombu after 5 minutes and strain out the anchovies after another 5.
Ingredients: 15 g dried anchovies (myeolchi), heads and guts removed · 1 pcs kombu, a 10 cm piece · 700 ml water
Kombu out early — boiled too long, it turns slimy and spoils the stock.Chop the vegetables
Cut the potato and courgette into 1.5 cm dice, the onion into dice and the mushrooms into slices; chop the garlic. Cut the tofu into 2 cm cubes and the chilli and spring onion on the diagonal.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste) · 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) · 2 cloves garlic · 1 pcs potato · ½ pcs onion · ½ pcs courgette · 100 g shiitake or oyster mushrooms · 200 g plain medium-firm tofu · 1 pcs green chilli · 1 pcs spring onion
Dissolve the paste
Dissolve the doenjang in the stock by pressing it through a small sieve with a spoon — no lumps will remain.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste) · 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) · 2 cloves garlic · 1 pcs potato · ½ pcs onion · ½ pcs courgette · 100 g shiitake or oyster mushrooms · 200 g plain medium-firm tofu · 1 pcs green chilli · 1 pcs spring onion
Through a sieve — no lumps of paste.Cook potato and onion
Add the potato, onion and garlic and simmer 8 minutes, until the potato starts to soften.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste) · 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) · 2 cloves garlic · 1 pcs potato · ½ pcs onion · ½ pcs courgette · 100 g shiitake or oyster mushrooms · 200 g plain medium-firm tofu · 1 pcs green chilli · 1 pcs spring onion
Add courgette and mushrooms
Add the courgette, mushrooms and gochugaru and simmer another 5 minutes.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste) · 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) · 2 cloves garlic · 1 pcs potato · ½ pcs onion · ½ pcs courgette · 100 g shiitake or oyster mushrooms · 200 g plain medium-firm tofu · 1 pcs green chilli · 1 pcs spring onion
Add the tofu
Add the tofu and chilli and simmer 3 minutes, until the tofu is hot. Stir gently so it does not break up.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste) · 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) · 2 cloves garlic · 1 pcs potato · ½ pcs onion · ½ pcs courgette · 100 g shiitake or oyster mushrooms · 200 g plain medium-firm tofu · 1 pcs green chilli · 1 pcs spring onion
Tofu last — gently, it is delicate.Taste
Taste and add half a tablespoon more doenjang if needed — pastes vary in saltiness. The stew should be thick, salty and earthy.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste) · 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) · 2 cloves garlic · 1 pcs potato · ½ pcs onion · ½ pcs courgette · 100 g shiitake or oyster mushrooms · 200 g plain medium-firm tofu · 1 pcs green chilli · 1 pcs spring onion
Serve bubbling
Scatter with spring onion and serve at once, bubbling, with a bowl of rice and Korean side dishes such as kimchi.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste) · 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) · 2 cloves garlic · 1 pcs potato · ½ pcs onion · ½ pcs courgette · 100 g shiitake or oyster mushrooms · 200 g plain medium-firm tofu · 1 pcs green chilli · 1 pcs spring onion
Before you start
Vegan version
Instead of anchovy stock, soak the kombu and 3 dried shiitake mushrooms in 700 ml cold water for 30 minutes, then simmer 10 minutes.
Additions and substitutes
Popular additions are clams, prawns or thin slices of beef — add them with the courgette (discard any clams that stay shut). Doenjang and gochugaru are sold in Asian shops and online. Dark miso can stand in for doenjang, but the stew will be milder and sweeter — a different dish. Instead of gochugaru use a pinch of chilli flakes with half a teaspoon of sweet paprika.
Storage
The stew keeps up to 2 days in the fridge. Reheated it tastes just as good, as doenjang takes reboiling well, though the potato and tofu may break up a little.
