Doenjang jjigae is a staple Korean stew made with fermented soybean paste! It’s hearty, delicious and comforting!
Doenjang jjigae (된장찌개) is a staple Korean stew made with doenjang (된장), fermented soybean paste. It is one of the most popular everyday home-cooked Korean dishes.
This hearty stew is my husband’s all-time favorite meal and my go-to dish when I want to make a quick satisfying meal. The distinct aroma of sizzling doenjang makes my mouth water every time I make this dish! Such a comforting, delicious dish!
Depending on the other ingredients added, you can make endless variations of the stew. This recipe is made with fatty pork, but you can also make it with beef or seafood.
As I explained in my Korean Pantry Seasoning Ingredients post, doenjang.is one of the three primary Korean sauce and pastes, collectively called jang (장) along with ganjang (간장, soy sauce) and gochujang (fermented chili pepper paste). Every Korean home has it all year round. Its deep, rich flavor is created by several months of fermentation and aging.
In the past, every household made doenjang at home. However, there are many commercial brands available at Korean markets and online these days. Of course, good doenjang makes good jjigae! So the quality of doenjang matters. See my Korean Pantry Seasoning Ingredients post for a buying guide.
In terms of other ingredients added, tofu is typical in doenjang jjigae. For vegetables, I usually use Korean white radish (mu, 무), zucchini, onion, and fresh green and/or red chili pepper. Korean radish adds flavor and helps create a clean, refreshing broth.
If Korean radish is not available, you can add some potato slices, which will make the stew slightly thicker. I often use both. Mushrooms are an excellent addition as well.
Tips for delicious doenjang jjigae
By now, you know Korean home cooks save the water used to rinse rice (ssalddeumul, 쌀뜨물) and use it as a stew or soup base. The rice water adds starch to the stew and works as a binding agent between the soybean paste and the broth. It also enhances the flavor of doenjang. If you didn’t have to make rice, or forgot to save the water, add a bit of flour or rice flour to water, but not absolutely necessary.
Use a small amount of vinegar at the end to make doenjang jjigae even more delicious! It will brighten the doenjang taste in the stew and round everything up nicely, but totally optional!
More Doenjang Jjigae Recipes
Seafood doenjang jjigae
Beef doenjang jjigae
Watch How to Make It
For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces pork (preferably fatty pork) shoulder, or loin (or beef)
- 9 ounces tofu (dubu, 두부)
- 1/2 medium zucchini (4 to 5 ounces)
- 2 ounces Korean radish (mu, 무) and/or 1 small potato, sliced into 1/4-inch thick bite size pieces.
- 1/4 medium onion
- 1 chili pepper green or red
- 1 scallion
- 2 tablespoons doenjang (된장), Korean soybean paste
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru (고추가루 ), Korean chili pepper flakes adjust to taste
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups water (or anchovy broth) see note
- 1 teaspoon vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the tofu and zucchini into about 1-inch cubes. Cut the radish into thin small squares. Thinly slice the onion and pepper. Roughly chop the scallion. Slice the meat into thin strips.
- Preheat a small pot with a little bit of oil. Sauté the meat, soybean paste, and chili pepper flakes, over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the water (or anchovy broth) and stir well to dissolve the soybean paste. Add the radish (if using a potato, add it in the next step). Boil over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the onion, garlic, tofu, zucchini, and chili pepper. Boil for an additional 5 to 6 minutes. Throw in the scallion pieces and add the optional vinegar with a minute or two remaining.
- Serve with a bowl of rice while it is still bubbling from the heat.
Notes
Save the water used to rinse rice (from the second or third rinsing), ssalddeumul for jjigae/stew. You can also use anchovy broth.
Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!
K says
Can I leave out the chili pepper and gochugaru to make this non spicy? Should I add anything else to replace them?
Hyosun says
Yes you can. No need for anything else. They were just adding spiciness not saltiness.
마리아 says
Just loved it! Enough hot and really tasty!
Darcy says
I made this recipe for the first time tonight, and I very much enjoyed it. I had to reduce the gochugaru because I have family members with no tolerance for spicy foods. I ordered a zucchini and got a yellow squash, so I went with that. After reading through the comments, I went with firm tofu. I pressed it so the tofu could better absorb the flavor of the stew. My only regret was that I used a mass-produced doenjang. Next time, I will make it with a higher-quality doenjang.
Daniella says
So delicious and soothing! I had some doenjang paste in my fridge to use up. I vegetarianized it by replacing the pork with mushrooms. Thank you again!
GP says
Hello,
What size (cups volume) is your earthen ware pot?
Hyosun says
The one I used for this recipe is 5 cups.
Henri says
Hello, I cooked Doenjang Jjigae for the first time yesterday. Great, thank you very much for this delicious recipe.
Hyosun says
Glad to hear that! Thanks!
Martin Sorenson says
I’ve been cooking a lot of Korean dishes, this being one of the most usual. This recipe works really well. I lived in Chicago all of my life – til 4 years ago moving to rural Arkansas. From one of the largest Korean populations outside of Seoul to one where they barely even heard of Korea, let alone any of the great dishes. I have to make my own if I want some. I find your recipes very accessible and doable where sometimes cute little Maangchi is a little too much. I also watch Korean drama on Viki.com and Netflix (plus a few others). I can’t get over the beautiful culture and unbelievable creativity. 난 한국을 사랑해!!
Lori Tonnes says
Made this stew tonight for the first time and it was very good! The only fatty pork I had on hand was bacon and it worked just fine.
vivi says
HI can i check white vinegar or black? i have those black china vinegar for dumpling use. Can i use that?
Hyosun says
hmm sorry I’ve never had that, but sure you just need a little bit so it should be okay. I generally use clear vinegar such as rice wine vinegar or white vinegar.
Skim says
Hello,
I love this recipe! Does this freeze well? I wanted to make a triple batch and freeze for when I need it fast!
Hyosun says
The stew itself will freeze well, but the tofu texture will change. Won’t be as nice and soft.
Julia says
Hi, love your recipes. Which doenjang paste do you recommend?
tribalogical says
I haven’t used many varieties, but the one by Sempio that’s aged for 6 months in an underground tunnel (and has only 4 or 5 ingredients, no additives/preservatives) is my favorite so far. Super savory, a bit on the coarser side, and although it’s fairly salty (they pretty much all are), provides quite a flavor+umami bomb to whatever I use it with. You won’t likely go wrong with that one.
Jean says
Thank youuuuuu so much for the great recipe!!!! I just had it, it tastes so so good!!!! 🙂
Hyosun says
Glad to hear that!!
Marcel says
Re the vinegar… white or Bragg’s ACV…
Hyosun says
oh any vinegar is fine. It’s just a little bit of acidity that’s nice to have, but not absolutely necessary.
Nzinga says
This looks incredible, Hyosun! I cannot wait to try it. Thank you for continuing to share your recipes with us — it’s thanks to you that I’ve been able to learn more about Korean food and broaden my cooking repertoire to include Korean dishes. I’m very grateful. Warm wishes to you.
Mbekk says
Great recipe! To make vegan, I diced king oyster mushroom small and cooked for a long time until very brown and flavorful. And I add a piece of kombu to the water. I also used black garlic instead of fresh to help with umami.
It turned out very very good! I have made this before several times with another recipe from a famous youtuber but never really liked it or wanted to finish it 😬
This was amazing! The vinegar was key I think. I didn’t want to share, ha.
I served it with a non- traditional focaccia, to which I added gochujang and green onion.
I have made my own long fermented doenjang and gochujang, so using those ingredients in recipes like this is very rewarding ^_^
Sage says
This recipe was so so easy and tasty (and especially comforting in the middle of a snow storm). I don’t eat much meat, so I left out the pork and added a little extra zucchini and tofu to make up for it. I had gochugara flakes on hand but next time I’ll try powder or gochujang to get the pretty color. This will definitely become a regular dish in my house!
Andreas says
This is so tasty!
also Thank you for posting all kinds of variations of this recipe. I personally like to take the liberty of combining them as I seem fit depending on the contents of my fridge and my current mood 🙂
Chas says
My first time making doengjang-jjigae. I’ve never tried this dish before so I have no ide how this soup should taste like.
I adjusted the recipe a little. I Added more water, used miso paste and made fish stock instead of anchovy stock and added broccoli, carrots and added one egg.
It came out tasting like ramen, but better!
jelly says
you did not make doenjang jjigae
Mike W says
Love this site so much! Quick question: could this be made in an Instant Pot? What changes would I need to make?
Hyosun says
This cooks up so quickly so I’m not sure why you would want to cook this in the instant pot. If you really want to, use the sauté function.
Cheryl says
Korean cooking can be intimidating to make with all the complex flavors and multiple ingredients, but you made this so simple and easy to follow, and the flavor is delicious and authentic!
I feel confident after making this for the first time and looking forward to trying your other recipes!
Hyosun says
Aww that’s great to hear! Thank you! Hope you find many more recipes approachable here.
Sarah says
I’ve noticed in all doenjang jjigae recipes the tofu is added with only just enough time to warm it through, about 5 minutes, but never at the beginning when the harder vegetables go in. Why is that? So it stays whole? I figured the earlier it went in the more broth flavor it would soak up.
Hyosun says
That’s to retain the soft texture of tofu.
BM says
Super tasty! I served over fresh somen noodles and made the soup with the starchy water from the noodles rather than rice. Turned out great and perfect for the fall/winter.
Kim says
Do I need to change anything if I want to double the recipe for 4 people?
Mbekk says
I doubled the recipe with no problems.
Jocelyn says
Thank you for the recipe! I just had a delicious and hearty lunch and will definitely be making it again 😁
Breanna says
Hi, I would love to try this recipe! Unfortunately I have soybean paste… Is it okay if I can use this? Would it taste differently?
Hyosun says
What kind of soybean paste?
SG says
for a vegetarian version, I guess we can follow the exact recipe skipping the meat!
Hyosun says
Yes! Enjoy!
Olga says
How did this work out? 🙃 I would love to make a veggie version (not a vegan per se I just don’t want any meat chunks inside).
Daniel Park says
So so good! I make it my mom all the time and she loves it! Only variation is more portions as 2nds & 3rd bowl is expected. Oh and teaspoon of anchovy stock just because. Thank You!
Mo says
Recipe was easy to follow & delicious. I tripled it hoping for leftovers for lunch but it was demolished. Thank you!
Rep says
I made this beautiful stew and my family loves it! Recipe is very easy to follow. Thank you for sharing.
Stein says
I’m going to make this for dinner tonight. Thank you for the recipe! 😊
Hyosun says
Enjoy!
Allison Foley says
I’ve made this twice now, it’s so delicious and fresh, I love your tips for exchanging ingredients and variations! The recipe was also super easy to follow, which was much appreciated.
Hyosun says
Great! Thanks for letting me know! Hope you find many more recipes you like on this blog.
Ursula Thoese says
Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious.
Hyosun says
So happy to hear that! Thank you!
Diana Ruiz says
I don’t have anchovie broth but I do wish to have that flavor. Would fish sauce added to the water make it similar?
Hyosun says
oh that would make the stew too salty. Just use water.
Katherine says
Doenjang jjigae was such a comfort food for me back when I lived in Korea. Quick question: if I’m leaving out the meat, should I still sauté the doenjang and chili pepper flakes first, or can I add them directly to the broth? Thanks!
Hyosun says
Hi Katherine! Yes you can add them directly to the broth. Hope this delicious comfort food takes you back to Korea.
Naty says
You have got to be the best teacher ever! This is one of my favorite soups. But I can’t ever have it at Korean restaurants because they put seafood in a lot of them. In the past, I tried to make this and the doenjang and the broth never seem to adhere well. Now I know why! I will try to make this sans the pork. I’m not necessarily vegan per se, but can this be made vegan? Would you add anything to make it tastier? Please and thank you!
Judith says
I made this 2 days ago – sort of. No pork in the house, so I made anchovy broth. Used home grown daepa and locally made doenjang made with barley. So – sort of followed the recipe! 🙂 It was yummy.
Estee says
Hi! How important is it to use the clay pot versus a regular pot? I have so many of your recipes bookmarked, and am deciding whether or not to buy a couple.
Hyosun says
Clay pots are nice to have, but you can certainly cook and enjoy Korean food without clay pots.
Lynn says
So yummy and very easy to follow – this is coming from an absolute beginner to Korean food. Thank you for sharing your recipe, I can’t wait to try the seafood and the beef options at a later date!
Hyosun says
So happy to hear that! You’ll love the other versions as well.
Linda Bryan says
Of all the Korean recipe websites yours suits my taste buds the most. I’ve tried many other sites but all of them seemed bland imo. Even your Tteokbokki recipe turn out best to 3 others that I’ve tried. Thank you for sharing.
Hyosun says
Thank you! I’m delighted to hear my recipes suit your taste buds. Hope you like many more recipes on my site.
joey says
Hii, is there a replacement for zucchini? and will the taste change hugely if i do not add chilli? as my family cant take spice
Hyosun says
You can add some cabbage or any other vegetable of your choice. Feel free to omit chili.
Rav says
Cant wait to try this. Can I use gochujang instead of gochugaru? Thanks
Hyosun says
Yes you can. Use a little bit.
Curtis W says
Thank you for your website. I’ve been watching a lot of Korean series on Viki TV and have been craving Korean food. Yours is the third website I found for Korean food and by far the best. I’m amazed at how simple the recipes are and they are healthy. I’ve made this stew at least 8 times over the last month and shared it with my dentist (a Korean from LA) and she loved it.
Hyosun says
aww thank you so much! I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying my recipes.
Teresa Hahm says
Thank you for the recipe! The only modification I would add for myself is to stir fry the onions with the meat. Otherwise the texture is too hard and crunchy for me. But fabulous recipe! 🙂
Hyosun says
Thank you! Stir-frying the onions is a great idea!
Grace says
Hi, I wanted to make this in a few days and wanted to know what kind of vinegar you used? Do you use something like Mirin? Or is an apple cider vinegar okay?
Hyosun says
Any clear vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is fine, but Mirin is not vinegar. Hope this helps.
Erik says
Incredible! I added some enuki-mushrooms and soybeans for more texture (and better visuals). The more I ate the better it tasted haha. Suprised how much taste the soybean-paste had.
Hyosun says
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know and for the great review!
Charles c says
Poorly written. Not for someone new to Korean cooking. Author does not give specificity of size of onion, zuchhini, moo and other ingredients. These add to imbalance of proportion of ingredients. Portion control not mentioned. Finally, author does not mention to taste amount of soy bean paste to be used for your liking. This one needs work.
DC says
As someone new to Korean cooking i have to disagree. I think this recipe is clearly written. Like any other recipe if exact amounts are not given for a certain ingredient it is because slight variations in amount of onion etc will not affect the outcome of the dish.
Your tone is condescending, I guess it is easy to be unpleasant when commenting anonymously
Jenny says
Completely Agree!
This recipe is great!
rudy says
Learn from the first time. Then modify to taste. Or taste as you go. The combination of ingredients in the soup itself should be pretty self evident if you have made any other stew in your life. This is a suuuuper basic dish. 1/10 difficulty. I used to make this college all the time. within 30 min you are eating already.
Henry Yun says
Did you make this recipe? Sorry if yours didn’t turn out well. This is a rustic stew so exact amounts are not needed. This stew turns out delicious and most cooks will eyeball amounts. Tasting is a good idea with all recipes. Yes you should taste the soup and add more paste if you think it needs it.
Darcy says
I disagree completely. This recipe is written using standard recipe measurements. Anyone with basic cooking experience will be able to make this recipe. This recipe is an excellent introduction to Korean cuisine. Like any recipe, you make it the first time as written, then adjust to your own tastes in the future.
Sam says
Instead of doenchang, can I use gochujang?
Hyosun says
You can, but it won’t be doenjang jjigae any more. I have a gochujang based stew on the blog:
https://www.koreanbapsang.com/hobak-gochujang-jjigae-korean-spicy/
Shasta Chung says
Hello and thank you for this recipe. I’m making it right now but didn’t know where the vinegar is supposed to come in. I see 1 tsp vinegar but I don’t see where you added it. Was that a typo? I’ve never used vinegar before but my husband said my last batch was missing something so I thought maybe that. Please let me know. Thanks.
Hyosun says
Oh so sorry about the late response. Hope it turned out well for you. I said in the body of the post “Use a small amount of vinegar at the end to make doenjang jjigae even more delicious! It will brighten the doenjang taste in the stew.” However, didn’t say anything about it in the recipe itself. It’s been added to the final step now. Thanks for catching that and for the great review!
David Kim says
What type of vinegar is this?
Hyosun says
Any clear vinegar works. I usually use rice vinegar.
Stephanie says
Oh my gosh, made this tonight for the first time, and just wow! I use gochujang all the time after getting hooked on Korean food whilst on holiday, but never found a recipe for doenjang that appealed before. But this was so delicious, the broth I could drink!! 😀
Hyosun says
Thank you, Stephanie! I’m glad to hear you tried doenjang jjigae for the first time and loved it! Hope it becomes your go-to stew as is in my house!
Kelly says
I’ve tried several doenjang jjigae recipes, and the flavor palette on this one is my favorite! I just made it again with a dashi broth (rather than anchovy because I already had the materials lying around for that lol) and included potato and used shrimp instead of meat (added shrimp at the same time as the scallions).
Delicious! My only question is whether you would recommend using coarse or fine gochugaru. I happen to have both and tend to use the coarse for pretty much everything, but I wasn’t sure if the fine would work better in a stew?
Hyosun says
Thank you, Kelly! Happy to hear you like my recipe. I personally don’t think it matters in a stew. The fine gochugaru will make the stew look a bit cleaner.
Ufuoma says
I made this today. And wow such a nice tasty stew. Easy to make too so this will be come my fav when I need comfort food in future. Thank you so much I love your blog and recipies.
Hyosun says
That’s great! Glad to hear it’s going to be your fav. Thanks for using my recipe and coming by to give me the feedback!
2cute2care says
It is the first rainy week here in the mountains in California and I decided to make this for dinner last night. It was awesome. I made it exactly according to recipe and added potatoes. I used a red jalapeño pepper for the red chili and it was deliciously spicy with the addition of the gochugaru. So yummy. For the broth I boiled a couple pieces of dried kelp in rice water for 10 minutes like the recipe suggests. Absolutely delicious. Today I am making it again for a friend who is feeling sick. Thank you so much for the delicious recipes! 🙂
Hyosun says
Great to hear! Thanks for letting me know.
Skim says
Hello,
I love this recipe! Does this freeze well? I wanted to make a triple batch and freeze for when I need it fast!
Sean says
Wow!!! Thank you. I’m a South African man, married to a Korean and living in S.Korea.
What beautiful recipes from a pretty woman. Thank you so much! I’m really enjoying
my self. God Bless!!!
Hyosun says
Thank you, Sean! Hope you enjoy lots of Korean food in Korea.
Angela Kahl says
Man, I wish I’d found this earlier. XD I’ve been trying and failing to copy the doenjang jjigaes I find in restaurants around here, and this recipe looks like it would have been REALLY close.
Hyosun says
It’s not too late! Hope you try it. Thanks, Angela!
Angela Kahl says
I am totally going to try it, probably after next market day. But I’ve been failing my jjigaes for about eight months, much to the amusement of my coworkers. My hagwon’s chef is an AMAZING cook, but I don’t speak Korean well enough to ask her advice yet and she doesn’t speak English at all.
This blog has saved my stomach since we moved to Changwon. Western ingredients are expensive out here. But I was already addicted to kimchi before we got here and fell in love with the rest of the cuisine within three days. So it all worked out well.
I’m actually eating a vegetarian adaptation of the gamjaguk right now, with kkongnamulguk planned for sometime this week. We’ve already made tteokmanduguk a staple, especially during cold and flu season.
Ian says
Can this be made in the slow cooker?
Hyosun says
Doenjang jjigae doesn’t take long to cook, so I am not sure if it’s a good candidate for cooking in the slow cooker. I am sure it can be done.
Kirti says
I just made doenjang for the first time in a while .. but I have a quick question about how long I can keep the paste in the refrigerator for. I just opened a new container and I want to know how long it will be ok to consume. Thank you for this great recipe!
Hyosun says
Doenjang paste lasts long, months or years for some of them. The commercial ones you buy in the market can get dried with the time, but won’t go bad. Thank you for trying my recipe!
Annie says
Hi Hyosun, can we use ssamjang instead of doenjang?
Hyosun says
Ssamjang is usually a mix of doenjang and gochujang and also seasoned slightly sweet with corn syrup or sugar. It will taste a little different but you can try it and see how you like it. I think it will be okay.
Annie says
Tried this with ssamjang and it was actually very tasty! It’s not as great as the kimchi tofu stew, which I’ve made several times already (!) but still good.
I absolutely LOVE, love, LOVE your blog. I’ve visited other blogs with Korean recipes and instructions, but yours is much more simple and not intimidating, which motivates me to try more recipes. Keep up the great blog!
Hyosun says
Great! Glad to hear that. Thank you so much for the love!
Sophie says
Hello! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It was very easy to follow and so delicious! I had this stew for the first time when I visited my cousin in South Korea, and I love it. I’m so glad I can make it now. YUM!!
Shaun Holyoak says
I made this for the first time today and it was delicious!! The flavor is so interesting and complex and it was just the right amount of spicy. Thanks for all these amazing recipes! I’m completely obsessed.
Heather says
Hi, I’ve made this a couple of times and it’s great! This round I used beef instead of pork and the meat turns out a bit tough. Any tips on how to keep the beef soft?
Thanks!
Hyosun says
Cut the meat thiner, boil longer over lower heat (medium), or use tender beef. Hope this helps. Thanks for using my recipe!
JosephIne says
I love you site. Can you tell what brand of ttengchang you use? Thank-you.
Hyosun says
Thank you, Josehpine! Right now I use Q-rapha brand which is a local brand in the Washington DC area. Before that I was using what my mother-in-law made at home. Try to look for locally made home-style doenjang your local Korean markets offer if possible. Otherwise, click on the Ingredients tab above and see the photo of one of the popular doenjang brands in Korea. Cheers!
Dana says
Hi! My grandma used to use this beef for dwenjang jjigae, it was sogogi but I don’t know what kind it is or the name and I can never find it in Hmart. It has bones in it too and they were bite size pieces. Could you have any idea what it could be? I know it’s not pork. Thanks!
Hyosun Ro says
Hi Dana – I’m sorry I have no idea what that is. Sometimes, Korean markets sell beef short ribs cut small. Or thin part of ox tail maybe?
Marvin Knight says
How do I subscribe to your blog
Hyosun Ro says
Any of the five buttons at the top right corner will work, Facebook, Google+, etc. Thanks for your interest!
amie says
Hi Hyosun, I am thinking of cooking this stew for a group of friends. Could you advise on how many this recipe serves? Also I only have small anchovies where I live, would you be able to let me know in weight how much I should use to make the broth? Thanks so much!
Hyosun Ro says
Hi amie – This recipe is about 2 – 3 servings. Use about 25 grams (a little less than 1 ounce) of anchovies. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
I just made this and am about to eat it for lunch right now. Turned out really good. I’ve tried making doenjang jjigae w/ different brands and varying the amount of paste added to the stew, but your recipe is the one I like best so far. The broth tasted light and not too salty but somehow had depth to it. Maybe sauteing the doenjang made the difference. Anyway, thanks for sharing!
– Cam
Hyosun Ro says
Thanks for the feedback, Cam! Glad to hear you liked it. Cheers!
Anonymous says
Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
I would like to ask, when using seafood, at what point should one add it? I want to use shrimp but they cook so fast so it feels like they should be added towards the end…
Hyosun Ro says
You’re welcome! Yes, you’re right. They should be added towards the end with 2 to 3 minutes remaining.
See this recipe for reference. https://www.koreanbapsang.com/2012/02/haemul-sundubu-jjigae-seafood-soft-tofu.html#.UipuvTakoy4
Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Thank you very much! =)
Woo-Jin says
Hello. I just made this for my mom to eat tomorrow and turned out amazing. Better than the version most restaurants here in San Diego make. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
Hyosun Ro says
Aww how nice! I’m sure your mom loved it. It probably was even better because it was made with love. Thanks!
SoooGood says
How well does this soup hold up? Can you store it or freeze it, or is it a hot off the stove soup?
Hyosun Ro says
Sorry about the late reply. I’ve been out of town with limited internet access. Yes, it is a hot off the stove soup. But, it will store well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing. Thanks!
Anonymous says
Omg. It turned out so good! I have been trying so many different ways of making this but couldn’t quite capture the depth of flavor it needs to have. The key was in the anchovy broth, which I had been making the wrong way this whole time! The stew was deep while being 쉬원해. I am going to make a whole pot of anchovy broth!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your family recipe with us.
Hyosun Ro says
I’m very happy to hear that. Yes, Anchovy broth makes a big difference. Thank you for using my recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you.
Honey Baby Yoo says
Hi thank you for your recipe! What type or cut of pork and beef do you use? The pork photo looks on the fattier side….is it from a Korean market?
Hyosun Ro says
I usually use fatty cut of pork such as belly or shoulder, but it’s a matter of personal taste. Fat adds rich flavor though. I think the photo was pork belly from a Korean market. Beef chuck or any other cheap cut with some fat would be great for stews. I also updated the ingredient list to reflect this. Thanks!
Anonymous says
Thank you for sharing this wonderful and traditional stew!
Tiana says
I just made this as a vegetarian version using only tofu and it tastes amazing! What a great recipe! Thank you so much for posting it.
Hyosun Ro says
Very happy to hear that. Thank YOU so much for letting me know!
Anonymous says
Hyosun, this is one of my favorite Korean dishes. Can you give me a recommendation for the brand(s) of Doenjang that you think are best?
Thanks.
Courtney
Hyosun Ro says
Courtney – Sorry for the late response. Can you email me? I will send you the photo. [email protected]
csk says
making this now!!! yum!!!!
Hyosun Ro says
Thank you, Fern. You’re awesome!
Fern@ToFoodwithLove says
Hi Hyosun, I just made this last night and it’s super delicious! My husband said it tasted really authentic, and that we don’t have to eat at Korean restaurants anymore 🙂
Hyosun Ro says
Fern@tofoodwithlove – Thank you! Let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!
Fern@Tofoodwithlove says
That looks so simple and delicious! I have some doenjang at home but I didn’t know what to do with it, but now I do. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll try it out soon. And I love your blog too! 🙂
Hyosun Ro says
You can use silken tofu too, but the classic for this stew is firm tofu. Korean firm tofu usually has two types, “soft” for stews and “firm” for pan frying. But you can use either one with no significant difference in the results.It’s a matter of preference.
TINA2010 says
is the tofu the silken or firm?
Yi @ Yi Reservation says
This looks so delicious! I recently made this with some watercress it was so good. Thanks for sharing.
Hyosun Ro says
Thank you, mskutin! Seafood is common in doenjang jjigae too. I am glad it turned out well for you. Thanks for letting me know and Happy New Year!
mskutin says
I make this a few days ago, instead of meat I place seafood with it. It came out really good too. I realize I forget to post a comment here. Sorry this comment is a little late, but still would like to let you know this is a great recipe. I enjoy all your recipe keep up with this page.
Hyosun Ro says
Helena – Thank you very much for the nice words. It is really exciting to me to hear from someone like you who love Korean food and want to try my recipes. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Helena says
I was so excited when I found your blog last week. This will be my first recipe, the dish I always get at our favorite Korean restaurant here in Salt Lake. Thanks so much for all the recipes and advice. Your photos are beautiful.
Hyosun Ro says
No, you don’t have to use meat in the seafood version, but you can if you want. It’s not uncommon to add meat to seafood doenjang jjigae. It’s a matter of preference. Regarding your second question, any type of seafood can be added. The typical ones are clams, mussels, shrimp, squid, and oysters. But you can use any one or combination of them. My family loves the seafood version too. Please let me know how it turns out for you. Thanks for trying my recipe.
Anonymous says
thanks for sharing this recipe! i actually would like to make the seafood version of this stew.. would i still use meat in the stew? also, wad kind of seafood can i include in?
thanks for your help! 🙂
LO
Toni says
Made the dish this past week, and I am with your husband on this one . . . I love it too. Never had a need to stock tofu but now plan on having it around just for this dish (as well as it being a great source of iron).
Made it exact with potatoes and leftover chicken (goes great with the rice, so filling). I can see myself making this dish once every 3 months. Thank you for the fast reply and the recipe.
Hyosun Ro says
Toni – Thank you for checking out my recipe.
Regarding your questions, you do not need to press water out of tofu since it will be cooked in liquid anyway. You would want to remove excess water if, for example, it is to be pan fried in oil. If it is to be used in the drier dish such as Korean dumplings(mandu), you would need to squeeze out as much water as possible.
Anchovy sauce is quite salty and pungent, so if you want to use it in this dish, use a small amount like one or two teaspoons, depending on how salty your Doenjang (fermented bean paste) is.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. I would also love to hear how it turns out for you if you make this dish.
Toni says
I was just looking around and had two questions regarding this recipe. I’m new to using tofu and wanted to know whether you need to pres it to remove excess moisture before using it in this dish?
and also if your using salted anchovy sauce, how much do you use when making this dish? (bought the Korean sauce after checking out a different website but never got a chance to use it)
Hyosun Ro says
Thanks for checking out my blog! I love doenjang jjigae too. Hope one day your husband will acquire the taste and enjoy the aroma of doenjang.
beyondkimchee says
This is all Korean comfort food that I can’t live without although my hubby is not so fond of the smell. 😛
Thanks for sharing. Looks great!
Hyosun Ro says
Mi-ae, thanks for visiting and subscribing! Hope you try some of my recipes and let me know how they turn out for you.
meahurley says
I really like your blog. Thank you. I’m subscribing to it now.
Mi-ae Choi
PFx says
Thanks for the tips, I will eat anything good in Korea. So I’m open to any suggestions. Great websites, I will definitely make a lot of memos before I go.
Thank God I have my mum to take me around. She’s Korean… She used to a pop singer in the 80’s. Shin Yu Giong. I don’t know if you’d know her. 🙂
Hyosun Ro says
Thanks for stopping by. That’s nice you get to go to Korea! There are so many great places to eat everywhere. Try the places that specialize in a particular type of food, like stews (doenjang jjigae, sundubu (soft tofu) jjigae), Chuncheon dakgalbi (if you like chicken and spicy food), nakji bokkeum (stir-fried octopus), etc. Also, check out ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal and SeoulEats for English information about restaurants in Seoul. SeriousEats has a post on “Snapshots from South Korea” which has a lot of information too. Hope this helps. I will let you know if I can think of anything else before you leave.
PFx says
This will be one of my first thing to eat when I visit Korea.
It’s been 15 years I haven’t been to Korea… and this June, I will be there.
Any tips? Especially great places to eat?
I am half Korean, and unfortunately forgot how to speak Korean since 8 years old…