• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Korean Bapsang logo

  • Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer/Snack
    • Main Dish
      • Meat
      • Noodles and Rice
      • Seafood
    • Side Dish
    • Slow Cooker
    • Soup
    • Stew
    • Desserts/Sweets
    • Korean-Chinese
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian dish
    • Traditional holiday food
      • Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving)
    • Special Event
    • Korean BBQ
  • Pantry
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Featured On
    • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • Pantry
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Stew

    Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)

    Published 04/04/2021. Updated 05/02/2021

    Jump to Recipe

    Kongbiji jjigae is a stew made with creamy purée of soaked soybeans. With pork and kimchi, it’s full of delicious flavor, hearty and warming!  It deserves a spot on your list of favorite Korean stews.

    DSC8917 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)

    Kongbiji jjigae (콩비지 찌개) is a stew made with creamy purée of soaked soybeans. It’s a warming and comforting stew my family loves! Pork and kimchi make this dish a hearty, delicious stew for an everyday family meal. 

    In the past, this stew was made with soy pulp (kongbiji in Korean) that’s left from making tofu. In modern cooking, it’s more commonly made with finely ground soaked soybeans. 

    Dried soybeans are a pantry staple in Korean homes. They are used to make kongjang and kongguksu in summertime, and this stew during cool/cold months.  These are the same beans used for doenjang (fermented soybean paste) and soybean sprouts. Rehydrating dried soybeans takes 6 to 8 hours, so plan accordingly.

    Growing up, we usually had this stew made with pork ribs and kimchi. I still think that’s the best way! I use baby back ribs, you can use spare ribs as well. The ribs take some time to cook, so I pre-boil them until tender and then add kimchi and soybean puree.

    DSC6791 2 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)

    You can use pork meat instead if you like, preferably with some fat. Pork shoulder/butt is a good cut for this dish. Pork fat enhances the nutty flavor of soybeans. If using pork meat instead of ribs, stir fry it with the kimchi, add water or anchovy broth, and boil for a few minutes over medium high heat before adding the soy purée.

    Instant Pot Method

    To make this dish in the Instant Pot, using less water (about 2 cups for this recipe), cook the ribs with aromatic vegetables on manual high for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the ribs. You can quick release after a few minutes. Remove the aromatics and the scum as well as some fat, if desired. Then, add the kimchi, juice from kimchi, and soybean puree along with the garlic, soup soy sauce, and the optional gochugaru. Cook on manual high for 10 minute, and quick release after 10 min.  

    If using pork meat instead of ribs, simply stir fry the bite sized meat with kimchi, and add water along with puréed soybeans and seasoning ingredients. Cook on manual hight for 10 minutes, followed by quick release after 10 min. 

    Mild Variation

    Sometimes, kongbiji jjigae is made white without kimchi and gochugaru for a mild taste. Napa cabbage is great for a mild version. You can season the stew with soup soy sauce and/or salt or serve it with a soy based sauce (yangnyumjang, 양념장).

    kongbiji jjigae - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)
     
    For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow  along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
    DSC8917 500x500 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)

    Kongbiji jjigae (Ground soybean stew)

    4.89 from 9 votes
    Main
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    8 hours
    Servings: 6
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup dry soybeans yields 2-1/4 cups soaked
    • 12 ounces pork ribs or 6 ounces pork shoulder
    • 2 thinly sliced ginger pieces about 1 inch-round
    • 1/4 medium onion
    • 1 scallion white part
    • 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce
    • 8 ounces kimchi cut into bite sizes
    • 1/2 cup juice from kimchi or to taste
    • 1 teaspoon gochugaru (2 teaspoon for more heat) - optional
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
    • 2 scallions roughly chopped
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Rinse and soak 1 cup dried soybeans for 6 to 8 hours (or overnight). Rub the beans with your fingers to remove the skins, and pour out the skins that rise to the top. Repeat this process to remove as much skins as possible.
      DSC8860 640x427 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)
    • Add the ribs, onion, scallion, ginger, soup soy sauce and 4 cups of water to a medium to large pot. (See note 1) Bring to a boil. Skim off the scum. Reduce the heat to medium low. Cover, and cook until the ribs are tender, 25 - 30 minutes. The resulting broth should be around 2 to 2.5 cups. Remove the aromatic vegetables. (See note 2 if using pork meat.)
      DSC8854 640x427 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)
    • Add the kimchi, juice from kimchi, and garlic to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Continue to cook for 5 - 6 minutes.
      DSC8868 640x427 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)
    • Meanwhile, finely grind the soaked beans in an equal amount of cold water (2 to 2.5 cups) until it becomes creamy.
      DSC8874 640x427 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)
    • Add the ground soybeans to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium low.
      DSC8879 640x427 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)
    • Simmer, uncovered, until the soybean puree is cooked, 12 - 15 minutes, gently stirring a few times. Further reduce the heat, if necessary, to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir in the chopped scallions with 2 - 3 minutes remaining. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with a bowl of rice.
      DSC8888 640x427 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)

    Notes

    1. The bean puree will increase in volume and can overflow while simmering, so use a large enough pot (4 to 5 quarts).
    2. If using pork meat instead of ribs, stir fry it with the kimchi, add 2-1/2 cups of water or anchovy stock and boil for 5 minutes over medium high heat before adding the soy purée.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!

    This recipe was originally posted in January 2013. I’ve updated it here with new photos, more information, and a recipe card.

    You may also like:

    • DSC 06281 e1422146518897 150x150 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)Kimchi Soondubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew)
    • DSC 1897 e1425613488615 150x150 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)Mak Kimchi (Easy Kimchi)
    • DSC 2423 e1549253088496 150x150 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)Vegetable Broth for Korean Cooking
    • DSC 2014 e1547701382767 150x150 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)Instant Pot Kimchi Jjigae (Stew)
    « Maekjeok (Doenjang Marinated Pork)
    Kimchi Ssambap (Rice Rolls) »
    343 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Email

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Korean Bapsang

    Korean Bapsang Author
    Hi! I'm Hyosun, and I am a Korean-American mom of two wonderful grown-up children. Here, you will learn how to cook Korean dishes the way we Koreans traditionally eat at home. Read More...

    Never Miss a Recipe

    Popular Recipes

    • a large bowl of red spicy Korean stir-fried rice cakes with serving plates and chopsticks
    • 2 quarter-heads of napa cabbage kimchi in a large ceramic bowl
    • Stir-fried glass noodles with beef and vegetables in a square bowl
    • DSC 06281 e1422146518897 500x500 - Kongbiji Jjigae (Ground Soybean Stew)
    • Korean noodles in a black bean sauce topped with cucumber matchsticks and served in a white bowl
    • A 6-photo collage of 15 Korean vegetable side dishes
    • Korean fried chicken nuggets in a sweet and savory sauce
    • kimchi stew with tofu in an earthen pot with the lid laid on the side of the pot

    Popular Categories

    Noodles and rice category banner

    Korean BBQ category banner

    Stews category banner

    As Featured On:

       

    Footer

    Korean Bapsang New Logo

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Copyright © 2023 · All rights reserved · Korean Bapsang