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You are here: Home > Archives > Recipes > Korean Recipes > Soups and Stews > Doenjang Jjigae, the ultimate Korean comfort

Doenjang Jjigae, the ultimate Korean comfort

November 18, 2011 by Holly Ford 74 Comments

Doenjang Jjigae
Doenjang Jjigae (Korean soybean paste stew) reminds me of my father.

As I recollect, he loved this stew.

My father passed away almost 6 years ago by car accident. And I didn’t even get to say good-bye to him. After he is gone I realized that I never had a chance to serve this stew for him.
In fact I never got a chance to cook anything for him.
And that hurts me…, and brings me to tears. I know he would have enjoyed this stew very, very much.My mother used fix this stew quite often just for him.
Of course her Doenjang paste is all home-made, and she has her secret to give this stew more depth. Nothing can’t beat the home-made.
But I personally don’t think you would go out and buy 50 lb bag of soy beans to make home-made Doenjang. So I will show you how to make this comforting stew with a store bought paste to taste just like Koren mothers would make.
There are several versions of Doenjang Jjigae and this, perhaps, is one of the basic ones.

 

First, let’s start with rice.
Why rice? You will find out soon.
Besides you gotta cook rice to eat with this stew anyway.

BTW I mixed white rice with brown rice, in case if you are wondering.

Rinse the rice once, just once okay?

Add a little bit of water and start tossing the rice rapidly, with swirling motions, for 30 seconds.
You will see the water turning into milk-ish.
Add about 2 cups of water to the rice and swirl around.

Drain to save this milk-ish water into a bowl, about 2 cups.
This is what we call, “ssal-tte-mool (쌀뜨물)”, the rice starch water.
This will enrich the stew.
Now go ahead rinse the rice a couple more times and cook by your usual way.

Here are our ingredients of the day.
Doenjang paste, Korean chili flakes, onion, zucchini, garlic, dried anchovies, sea kelp, mushroom, chilies, and Asian leek or green onion.
But I am missing one important thing…

This one, the tofu! I used soft tofu but you can use firm if you like. Cut into cubes.

Dice your onion,

and the same goes to zucchini…

Cut off the bottom from the enoki mushrooms. You can use any mushroom of your choice.

If you want to stick to the authentic style, use a stone pot. This small pot is about 1 quart size.
Bring to your heat source.

Toast your anchovies for 1 minute.
The reason is that most dried anchovies are stored in the fridge or freezer and they get damp, which means, fishy!
Toasting will remove the fishy smell.

Pour the rice starch water and add the dried sea kelp. Let them boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove our sea friends and discard them.

Add the Doenjang (soy bean) paste.
You need to mash them down to incorporate with stock. Whatever left in the mash, throw them back into the stock.
You can use coarse mash strainer for this job or use the back of a spoon and smash it to the pot.

Add onion and zucchini slices,

and chili flakes. Let it boil.

Add tofu and garlic.

Add chilies and boil for 2 minutes.

Lastly add mushroom and the Asian leek. Done!
Remove the pot from heat.

Hold your breath while you’re tip-toeing to carry this boiling pot to the table. It is hot!

 

Doenjang stew is voted #1 comfort stew among Korean men.
Do you have Korean male in your life?
Surprise him with this stew,

and he will adore you for the rest of your life.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

 

Korean Soy Bean Paste Stew

 

Doenjang Jjigae

Holly Ford
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups rice starch water*
  • 6-7 dried anchovies
  • 1 piece 3" dried sea kelp
  • 2 generous Tbsp Doenjang soybean paste
  • 1/2 package 4 oz tofu, cut into 1" cubes
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 1/2 zucchini diced
  • 1 tsp Korean chili flakes
  • 1 garlic clove chopped
  • 1 green or red chili sliced
  • 1/2 package enoki mushrooms or one handful of any mushrooms sliced
  • 1/2 Asian leek or 1 green onion sliced

* rice starch water : rinse rice once with water and drain. Add a 1/2 cup of water again, toss and swirl around the rice for 30 seconds. You will see the water turning into milk-like. Add 2 cups of water and swirl to collect all the starch from the rice. Drain to save the starch water in a bowl.

    Instructions
     

    • Bring small 1 qt stone or heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat. Toast the anchovies for 1 minute and pour the rice starch water to the pot. Add the sea kelp and bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the anchovies and sea kelp, discard them.
    • Using a coarse mesh strainer, mash the Doenjang paste into the pot so it gets incorporated with stock. Add onion, zucchini, chili flakes and let them boil. Add tofu, garlic, chili and cook for 2 minutes.
    • Lastly add Enoki mushrooms and green onion. Remove the pot from heat and serve hot with rice.

     

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    Filed Under: Archives, Korean Recipes, Recipes, Soups and Stews Tagged With: Anchovies, Soybean Paste, Tofu, Zucchini

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    Comments

    1. leaf (the indolent cook) says

      November 18, 2011 at 9:25 pm

      Oh Holly, sorry to hear about your father. This makes me think, I must cook more for my parents when I see them. What a comforting stew this is – I can see why this could be the way to someone's heart!

      Reply
    2. Sophia says

      November 18, 2011 at 9:55 pm

      This stew moves me too, because it reminds me of my grandfather who passed away three years ago. I will always have the image of him slurping noisily at the stew, and us burping at the same time. 

      Reply
    3. Smoky Wok (Tastes of Home) says

      November 19, 2011 at 12:12 am

      I love doenjang jjigae, very comforting indeed – I'm sorry about your father…

      Reply
    4. Cptfitz says

      November 19, 2011 at 6:19 am

      I don't think this could look or sound more delicious! It brings back awesome memories of my childhood in Korea. Thanks for the recipe, I love your blog!

      Reply
    5. Hyosun Ro says

      November 19, 2011 at 6:39 am

      Holly – I am very sorry about your father. That's so sad. You're right this is no. 1 comfort food for Koreans, especially men. This makes me hungry for it, and I am just having my first cup of morning coffee. 

      Reply
    6. S. Z. says

      November 19, 2011 at 2:58 pm

      Hollly, this is a touching post. I've loved your blog ever since I knew about it. I love you even more now that you are finally doing a doenjang jjigae post, because I've always wanted to make one, but never could. Maybe it's the rice starch water that was missing.

      Reply
    7. beyondkimchee says

      November 19, 2011 at 3:25 pm

      S. Z.
      Thanks for the comment.Yes, the rice starch water will thicken the stew quite nicely and brings deeper flavor, too. Give it a try and let me know how it turned out.

      Reply
    8. beyondkimchee says

      November 19, 2011 at 3:29 pm

      Hyosun Ro
      Thanks, Hyosun! A pot of Doenjang Jjigae and a grilled fish is one of the most common humble dinner and I often miss that. Hope you enjoyed your coffee and had a great Saturday morning.

      Reply
    9. beyondkimchee says

      November 19, 2011 at 3:32 pm

      @a6366f025ddce6dd53bdcb8a1d6ccbeb
      Thanks. Yes, I do remember, too, of the smell of Doenjang Jjigae in my house or my friends house as a child. It was the natural alarm for us that the dinner is almost ready. I love the smell…

      Reply
    10. beyondkimchee says

      November 19, 2011 at 3:37 pm

      Sophia
      Hi Sophia, I am sorry about your grandfather.
      Your description of how your grandfather enjoyed the stew was so right! Many Korean men, especially older generation, would do that. My father didn't burp but he did slurp his soup or stew though.

      Reply
    11. beyondkimchee says

      November 19, 2011 at 3:43 pm

      @ff5a7342455262aefc19b0703b5a1649
      Yes, cook more for your parents. Sharing food with your loved ones is like sharing your heart. It will bring precious memories.

      Reply
    12. Purabi Naha says

      November 19, 2011 at 6:36 pm

      I love Korean food and I am really happy to have bumped upon your blog today!! Loved this jijigae recipe. Following you now. I would love your visit to my blog on Indian/Hong Kong food!

      Reply
    13. Bee says

      November 20, 2011 at 2:50 pm

      Your blog is something I was looking for – detailed instructions on how to make Korean everyday food. I am currently living in Seoul and want to learn more about Korean home cooking before we move again. Thanks for all the tips and recipes! Well come here more often.

      Reply
    14. Shuhan says

      November 20, 2011 at 3:16 pm

      wow definitely looks like comfort food. any kind of stew or soup bubbling in a hot claypot is heaven.

      Reply
    15. Carloline says

      November 20, 2011 at 7:56 pm

      Hi Holly
       
      Thank you for the recipe. Iam going to cook this for dinner. Will it be much different if I omit the chillie flake? Because my young nephew still could not take spicy food yet.
       
      Thanks.
       
      Caroline

      Reply
    16. Jen says

      November 20, 2011 at 8:14 pm

      my five year old son loves this soup. i will use your recipe next time!

      Reply
    17. beyondkimchee says

      November 20, 2011 at 10:41 pm

      @e5ff742b14eddf1a5cd63be711b937b1
      Hi Caroline
      yes, you can omit the chili flakes and fresh chilies, too. Hope you nephew would enjoy the stew you made.

      Reply
    18. beyondkimchee says

      November 20, 2011 at 10:42 pm

      Wow, that is impressive. He's got some Korean factor in his taste bud.

      Reply
    19. Trang says

      November 21, 2011 at 6:20 am

      I love your blog. The recipes are clear and the photos are just too professional, like they are taken out of a cookbook.

      I love any kind of Korean soup, especially during the kind of winter in the Midwest region of the U.S.

      Reply
    20. beyondkimchee says

      November 21, 2011 at 6:56 am

      @d228db5f32b3cdbde75d46a8917c0b61
      Thanks Bee. You are welcome to my site anytime.

      Reply
    21. beyondkimchee says

      November 21, 2011 at 7:03 am

      @c01c21604566414f02d0c6fc1bbc8346
      Hi there
      Thanks for visiting my blog. I am not so familiar in cooking with Indian ingredients so I am glad that I found your blog as well. Look forward to learn great Indian recipes from you.

      Reply
    22. Duncan says

      November 22, 2011 at 10:25 pm

      Hi Holly, this is Duncan from Kuantan. You have a beautiful blog and quite a talent for cooking. My wife is excited to be staying at your place this coming weekend! What a lovely idea to be doing this blog for your children – you can't go wrong when it comes to food. Have a look at my blog too:

      Duncan In
      Kuantan

      Reply
    23. beyondkimchee says

      November 23, 2011 at 6:10 am

      @8d9f8fcf78188c19595f52aa36ac77b0
      Hi Duncan
      Yes, we are excited to have your young family in our home as well. Have a safe drive to KL.

      Reply
    24. beyondkimchee says

      November 23, 2011 at 6:12 am

      Hi Trang
      Thanks for the compliments. Hope you can visit my site as often as you can.

      Reply
    25. Laure says

      November 23, 2011 at 10:58 am

      Hi Holly, I'd like to make this soup, but Doenjang paste is impossible to find where I live. Would miso be an acceptable substitution?

      Reply
    26. beyondkimchee says

      November 23, 2011 at 1:21 pm

      @c46dca1d3f64dbbcb816542492a27df4
      Hi! You can use miso but it will taste a little different. Generally Miso is milder than doenjang but you can look for miso that is stronger in flavor. Look for deep brown tone of miso rather than yellow.

      Reply
    27. Heol says

      February 14, 2012 at 7:14 am

      Hi

      Nice Blog!
      I like asian food and this recipe is simple.

      Thank you

      Reply
    28. wildbutterfly26 says

      March 1, 2012 at 1:14 am

      this seem to be so good!

      Reply
    29. Nicole says

      March 1, 2012 at 2:34 pm

      This is lovely. I've actually never seen this bad with the starch of rice water… It's interesting! Soy bean paste soup is my favorite Korean soup! 🙂 I don't doub that your father would be extremely proud of you and loved to call you his daughter!

      I do think it's funny though that this stew is voted #1 among Korean men. I am half-Korean and my boyfriend is too, but he doesn't like this soup at all! Haha. I made some (for myself) and he tried it, but he stuck to his mother's yuk-gae-jang instead! 😛

      Reply
    30. beyondkimchee says

      March 1, 2012 at 3:22 pm

      Ha ha! I know doenjang is not for everyone. Most Korean men (in Korea) loves doenjang stew. It truly is voted for #1 comforting stew for them to miss their mother's cooking even though their wives are great cooks.

      Reply
    31. Sarah says

      March 18, 2012 at 1:02 am

      I made this last night and it was delicious! Thanks so much for this recipe. 

      Reply
    32. beyondkimchee says

      March 18, 2012 at 4:25 pm

      Hi Sarah
      I am glad that you liked the stew. Thanks for the comment.

      Reply
    33. LucyL says

      March 20, 2012 at 3:13 am

      I made this last night and added fresh clams to it and had it with rice & korean seaweed, it was sooo good! My bf loved this dish so much so I teased him and said he must be korean as this is a favourite dish amongst korean men hehe. Can't believe that doenjang paste is so tasty, we have a similar chinese doenjang paste which is sweeter and i use it to steam salmon and it's delish!  

      Reply
    34. beyondkimchee says

      March 20, 2012 at 7:11 am

      I had tried cooking salmon with miso but never with Chinese paste. Will it be similar?

      Reply
    35. LucyL says

      March 22, 2012 at 2:29 am

      yes, you can buy chinese doenjang it's called "min see". It's more pungent than miso and sweeter than doenjang so it tastes different to using miso. I've used miso for salmon too and it's not the same. You need around 1 teaspoon of min see mixed with a little water for 1 salmon steak.

      Reply
    36. Serena says

      June 2, 2012 at 6:04 am

      I made this without the anchovies and added Korean radish. This dish turned out excellent!

      Reply
    37. Pearl says

      December 15, 2012 at 10:02 am

      I have noticed there are seasoned and unseasoned paste. Is it okay to use the seasoned paste?

      Reply
      • Holly says

        December 15, 2012 at 12:25 pm

        Hi Pearl
        Is the “seasoned Paste” in the green container? if it is, then it contains some chili paste in it. So omit the chili paste in the recipe.

        Reply
    38. JazzySister says

      December 27, 2012 at 2:10 am

      I’ve recently developed an affinity for Korean dramas and one thing that stands out to me is the food!! – of all things…lol. This soup looks scrumptious! I will definitely try it which means time for another trip to the Asian market where I get odd looks when I go in knowing exactly what I’m looking for (African American woman tends to stand out…hahaha). Nevertheymind, the food is SO worth it!

      Reply
    39. Leah says

      January 20, 2013 at 2:19 am

      Thank you for the recipe and for sharing about your family. I too have the sense that your father would be proud. We have to imagine what our deceased elders who loved us would feel and say. They are still with us in significant ways.

      Now, then. I finally made my first stew with your recipe, and I’ve just slurped it down with pride and delight, with sides of rice and kim (laver) that I toasted myself. I lament the wasteful packaging of pre-toasted kim!

      I did make one change to the cooking method, that I want to share. I learned this from the world of fermentation, and it’s a technique that I think all true lovers of Korean culture, a culture devoted to healthfulness, would welcome, even though it changes the order of this traditional method.

      The thing is that as a fermented product, doenjang and miso are alive. Doenjang offers more benefits alive than dead, but boiling kills it. So I skipped the early doenjang step and proceeded nearly to the end. Then I added the mushrooms and leeks (not green onions) (and clam meat, as a treat.). Then I drew a little liquid from the cooking pot, covered it, and TURNED OFF THE HEAT.

      I put the bit of liquid in a small bowl and mashed the doenjang in it thoroughly. THEN I put the thinned doenjang back into the pot, stirred a little, poured it into my serving bowl (no stone pot here yet, alas!), and topped it with the green onions, which cook in the residual heat. I enjoyed knowing that that the stew still held the live cultures of the doenjang.

      Thank you again for your wonderful recipe. I, in my own way, offered this first doenjang jjigae of mine to the memory of your dad.

      Reply
      • Holly says

        January 20, 2013 at 9:53 am

        Hi Leah

        Thank you so much for your comment and sharing the tip on adding the doenjang paste at the end. I remember reading an article about it in some Korean cookbook of fermented food. You are right, adding it at last will increase the benefit of getting the most of live culture of the paste. It also will bring the stronger flavor as well. Thanks for your kindness of offering this stew to the memory of my deceased father. I appreciate it.

        Reply
        • Leah says

          March 12, 2015 at 3:26 pm

          Holly, I was just checking back because I’d forgotten to save your recipe to my dropbox… or bookmarks … or browser history … or anyplace. But I remembered that it was associated with a story about your father, so I searched on doenjang jiggae father and google brought me right back here. I’d forgotten about posting, so thanks, belatedly, for your response. All best to you! (Making another lovely batch today… ahhhh! #homesaltyhome)

          Reply
          • Holly says

            March 12, 2015 at 4:11 pm

            Hi Leah
            It is so sweet of you leave this comment. Glad to hear that my recipe showed up right away for you and you were able to cook a batch. Some food just brings the comfort, isn’t it? Thank you and all the best for you, too.

            Reply
    40. Leah says

      January 20, 2013 at 2:21 am

      (oops – I didn’t use leeks, but the above describes when I would add them if I had used them.)

      Reply
    41. Leah says

      January 30, 2013 at 12:36 pm

      My 10 month old loved this stew. One of my childhood favorites!

      Reply
    42. mintz says

      February 22, 2013 at 12:49 am

      I’ve been having cravings for doenjang jjigae for so long! We do have Korean food in lots of places here, but doenjang jjigae is not found in the cheaper range food stalls. I had one at an authentic Korean restaurant once, but it’s expensive 🙁
      Was watching 1박2일 members eating stew and suddenly thought of searching for the recipe. Such joy to find your posts!! ^^ I don’t really like to cook, but I think I’ll try your recipe soon! Thanks for the recipe 😀

      -from Singapore-

      Reply
    43. franco says

      March 2, 2013 at 3:15 pm

      I would like to try to make it but the problem is that I hate tofu. Any suggestion how to replace it with other thing?
      Besides, in Italy we dont have enoki mushrooms, we have “porcini”. But I think it would be OK

      Reply
      • Holly says

        March 3, 2013 at 1:01 pm

        You can omit the tofu. Porcini has its own strong flavor compared to other type of mushroom. You can use it, but if you can find button mushrooms or oyster mushrooms they would be better fit.

        Reply
    44. lumina vacuum food sealer bags says

      April 18, 2013 at 4:49 pm

      Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it
      was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
      I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any suggestions for first-time blog writers? I’d genuinely appreciate it.

      Reply
    45. Ivonne says

      August 3, 2013 at 7:54 pm

      I just finished reading your recipe and I´m sure it is delicious, I really enjoyed the way you wrote down this recipe, your writting skills are very much enjoyable and your pictures, simply amazing, my boyfriend is mexican but im sure not only koreans but any men would be conforted by a soup like that!, keep up the amazing work!! Greetings from Mexico!

      Reply
    46. Ruth says

      August 23, 2013 at 10:31 pm

      My husband and I recently bought soybean paste and were looking for a recipe to use it. I made this soup following your instructions and my husband loved it. Thanks for all the details. I am looking forward to keep cooking from the recipes on your website.

      Reply
    47. Gloria says

      November 4, 2013 at 2:52 pm

      Instead of the dried anchovies can I use dashi powder?

      Reply
      • Holly says

        November 4, 2013 at 3:51 pm

        Yes, you can.

        Reply
        • Dana says

          January 6, 2019 at 4:51 am

          Hey, I realise it’s a pretty old post but in case you see this, can you say how much dashi powder should be used if substituted for the dried anchovies? Thanks!

          Reply
    48. KimMe says

      November 19, 2013 at 5:26 am

      The smell of doenjang jiggae was the most inviting I had ever experienced in Korea. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to fix it for my family.

      Reply
    49. Shadia says

      May 4, 2014 at 11:07 pm

      Hi holly thank you for the recipe, I want to make this for my whole family, so I’d need to triple the ingredients. However, I was wondering if I’d still need to add more anchovies or would it be enough.

      Reply
      • Holly says

        May 5, 2014 at 9:09 am

        You don’t need to triple the amount of ancovies as long as your get the right amount of the stock. You might need to add a little more water, though.

        Reply
    50. Matt Wilson says

      September 8, 2014 at 9:19 am

      Wow, looks so delicious!

      Reply
    51. tranthanhbinh202 says

      November 12, 2014 at 3:07 am

      Wow, I love cooking blog! Full of inspiration!

      Reply
    52. Jeff says

      January 23, 2015 at 9:03 am

      This looks delicious. Too bad some of the ingredients are not available where I live 🙁

      Reply
      • Jays Adams says

        February 12, 2015 at 6:35 pm

        Looks great! I am going to try that recipe myself.

        Reply
      • Amanda says

        July 27, 2015 at 1:47 pm

        This reply is for Jeff: If there are no Korean, Asian, or specialty shops in your area, you might be able to order the ingredients you’re missing online. 🙂

        Reply
    53. Bárbara Véliz ovalle says

      February 13, 2015 at 2:04 pm

      I love your recipes as well that i love korean food !! I tried this one, and i think it turns well, 감사합니다

      Reply
    54. lufen says

      December 30, 2016 at 10:18 am

      Thank you Holly, for this very good recipe. I followed your instructions to the letter, and was wowed by the richness and depth of the broth. I’m a soup person, and will definitely make this again and often. This is a keeper 🙂 Many thanks ..

      Reply
    55. Chim says

      March 18, 2017 at 8:41 am

      I didn’t have zucchini so I used squash instead, it still tastes good! The squash added a little sweetness to the stew. Thanks for your recipe Holly!

      Reply
      • Holly says

        March 18, 2017 at 8:15 pm

        You are very welcome. Glad that you liked it.

        Reply
    56. RL says

      December 24, 2018 at 1:08 pm

      Hi, nice website! What makes this different from soondooboo?

      Reply
    57. Maja says

      March 29, 2020 at 9:37 am

      I love this stew and it is a favourite among my friends too! I’ve been using your recipe for years now. This is where I first found out about using rice starch water and it has really made a difference. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your story and your recipe. I am sending my kindest regards as I head to my sunny Polish kitchen to create yet another version of this delicious meal.

      Reply

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    Welcome to Beyond Kimchee!

    Welcome to Beyond Kimchee

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    I am Holly, a native Korean mother and a wife whose favorite place in the house is the KITCHEN. I hope you find lip-smackingly delicious Korean recipes and beyond in my site.

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