Made with a few simple pantry staples, Doenjang Jjigae, also known as Korean Soybean Paste Stew, is a hearty stew that is packed full of flavour. Filled with pork, tofu, and veggies, this stew is a comforting dish that I turn to whenever I’m craving something cozy.
Something I made a lot while juggling work and university, was this simple soybean paste stew. It’s versatile and as long as you have soybean paste, you can make this stew. It’s easy to throw together and most of the time, I don’t even measure. Homemade doenjang jjigae can be easily adjusted to suit whatever flavour profile you’re craving at the moment.
Why You’ll Love This Stew
- It’s easy to customize. If you’re missing an ingredient, it’s no big deal. I’ve made this delicious doenjang jjigae recipe without pork, without zucchini, without potatoes, and once without onions. The stew will still taste great! Make it spicy with extra pepper powder or leave it out completely.
- It’s rich and hearty, making it perfect as a meal on its own or serve in a smaller bowl as a side dish.
- This soybean stew is perfect for any occasion. I make it on its own for dinner, I make it as a quick lunch, I love it as a side dish when I’m KBBQing at home, and it can be served as a starter.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Doenjang Jjigae
- sesame oil — or olive oil to cook the pork in.
- pork — I use pork shoulder but I’ve used pork belly and ground pork before. A fatty cut is more desirable.
- onion — a small yellow onion or half of a large onion.
- doenjang — also known as soybean paste. You can’t make this delicious doenjang jjigae without the doenjang! If you do not have a local grocer that sells this, you can find doenjang online!
- gochugaru — Korean chili powder. Feel free to decrease or omit if you’re not a fan of the heat.
- water — you can also use anchovy broth (or anchovy broth cube).
- zucchini — there’s no need to peel them. Just cut off the tip and ends! I use small zucchinis as they are less bitter, have softer seeds, and thinner skins. Pick ones without any blemishes.
- garlic — I recommend freshly minced garlic and not the pre-minced storebought ones.
- tofu — it’s up to you which you want to use. Soft, medium, or firm tofu all go well with the stew. I usually use soft tofu but for the sake of the photos, I used medium firm.
- scallions
What is Doenjang?
Doenjang is a thick brown paste made from fermented soybeans and salt. There are a lot of different soybean pastes as they vary in length of fermentation and how they’re made. I actually really love using the soybean paste pictured on the right up above as it’s made with anchovy extract and it really complements the flavours of the stew. Get a few of the smaller fermented soybean paste tubs to find your favourite before committing to a giant one!
While similar, miso is not a substitution for doenjang. Both are made by fermenting soybeans, but miso is fermented with koji, giving it a sweeter flavour. Doenjang is fermented with only salt.
How to Make Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Soybean Paste Stew)
- Heat sesame oil on medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the cut pork into the pot and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. They do not need to be fully cooked at this point.
- Add the onions and continue to cook, until the onions have softened, for around 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the soybean paste and gochugaru to the pot. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and water (or anchovy broth) to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Simmer for more if you have large pieces of potatoes.
- Add the zucchini and garlic to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the tofu (sliced, cubes, etc) to the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Top doenjang jjigae off with scallions and serve.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- I like serving this soybean stew with purple rice or jasmine rice.
- Try to make sure the potatoes and zucchini are bite-sized so you can get a bit of everything in every spoonful of doenjang jjigae you take.
- Shiitake mushrooms and enoki mushrooms are great additions to this stew.
- For a thicker stew, use rice water instead of water as it’s more starchy.
- Avoid adding garlic too early to the stew as it can burn bitter.
- If you’re new to fermented soybean paste, store the container in the fridge after using it for this doenjang jjigae recipe.
- When making a single serving, I like using the small clay pots (the black mini pot pictured).
- Leftover doenjang jjigae can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- I reheat leftovers on the stovetop.
- Omit the gochugaru in this doenjang jjigae recipe if you’re not a fan of heat.
Side Dish Ideas
Here are a few sides that I like to serve with my soybean stew:
Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Soybean Paste Stew)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ lb pork, roughly chopped, I use pork shoulder. use a fatty cut
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- 5 tbsps doenjang, soybean paste
- 1 to 2 tsp gochugaru, Korean chili powder
- 1 to 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 5 cups water, or anchovy broth
- 2 small zucchini, cut into half moons
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 package tofu, soft, medium, or firm tofu sliced or cubed
- scallions, as garnish
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat sesame oil on medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the cut pork into the pot and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the onions and continue to cook, until the onions have softened, for around 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the soybean paste and gochugaru to the pot. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and water (or anchovy broth) to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Simmer for more if you have large pieces of potatoes.
- Add the zucchini and garlic to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the tofu to the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Top off with scallions and serve.
Nutrition Per Serving
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