Finding the ingredients
You can open unfamiliar ingredients directly from the list. Many Korean pantry basics are easiest to find in Asian grocery stores or online, while fresh ingredients can often be handled more flexibly.
Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Soybean Paste Stew, 된장찌개)
Category: Stews & soups🕒 50 mins🍽️ 4 servings
From my kitchen
How I cook this at home
I keep this recipe practical for everyday cooking: clear steps, linked ingredients, and small notes from my kitchen so you can make it realistically in Germany too.
My notes for this recipe
My notes for this recipe
I also like Japanese miso soup, but Korean Doenjang Jjigae feels different to me. For Korean soybean paste stew, the broth matters, but the ingredients inside the pot are just as important: zucchini, tofu, onion, mushrooms, and sometimes potato.
This is my simple everyday version. I do not make a complicated broth. If I have rice water, I use rice water. If not, plain water is fine. I add onion and spring onion directly to the water and let them simmer for about 15 minutes, so they make a simple base for the stew. Then I dissolve a big spoonful of doenjang into that broth. After that, the rest of the ingredients go in and everything bubbles together.
I usually do not add carrots to Doenjang Jjigae. Zucchini, potato, mushrooms, and tofu fit much better. If you want a deeper flavor, you can add dried anchovies, a little pork, or beef while the onion and spring onion are simmering. For a vegetarian or vegan version, simply leave them out.
Optional flavor boost
A few dried anchovies
or 100 g pork
or 100 g beef
Notes
Carrot is not usually added to this version of Doenjang Jjigae.
Rice water gives the stew a slightly rounder taste, but plain water works well too.
Enoki mushrooms are often easy to find. Shiitake mushrooms are also good, but they can be more expensive in Germany.
Quick tips
- Read the ingredients and steps once before you start.
- Prepare the sauce, vegetables, and toppings first so cooking feels calmer.
- Adjust the final flavor gently with soy sauce, salt, sugar, or sesame oil.
How I cook it
Cut the onion into rough pieces. Cut the spring onions into larger pieces. Cut the zucchini, potato, and tofu into bite-sized pieces. Clean the mushrooms and cut them smaller if needed.
Add 800 ml rice water or plain water to a pot. Rice water is the milky-white water from rinsing rice. For soups and stews, I usually use the second or third rinse, not the first one.
- 15:00
Add the onion and spring onions to the pot and simmer gently for about 15 minutes. This gives the stew a simple base, even without ready-made broth or Korean broth coins.
Add one heaping tablespoon of doenjang to the hot broth and stir well until the paste dissolves.
Add the potato, zucchini, and mushrooms to the pot. Simmer over medium heat until the potato is almost cooked.
- 7:00
Tofu vorsichtig dazugeben und weitere 5–7 Minuten köcheln lassen. Nicht zu stark rühren, damit der Tofu nicht zerfällt.
If you like the stew a little spicy, stir in 1/2 tablespoon gochujang or 1/2 tablespoon gochugaru. For a warmer, spicier version, you can also add fresh hot chili peppers.
If the stew tastes too mild, stir in a little more doenjang. Serve hot with rice.
Small notes
Doenjang Jjigae is very flexible. You can make it simply with vegetables and tofu, or add a few dried anchovies, a little pork, or beef for a deeper flavor. I still think the simple version with zucchini, potato, mushrooms, and tofu works very well.
If you wash rice, you can use the second or third rinsing water as rice water. It makes the stew taste a little softer and rounder. If you do not have rice water, plain water is completely fine.
(Rice water is the milky-white water left from rinsing rice. For soups and stews, I usually use the second or third rinse, not the first one. It makes the broth taste a little softer and rounder. If you do not have rice water, plain water is completely fine.)
If you want it a little spicy, you can add 1/2 tablespoon gochujang or 1/2 tablespoon gochugaru. On days when I want Doenjang Jjigae to taste more warming and spicy, I also like adding fresh hot chili peppers. These are now often easy to find in regular supermarkets too.
Ingredients you can open and learn about
Small questions that often come up
Can beginners make this recipe?
Yes. Read through the steps once and prepare the ingredients first. That makes the recipe much easier to follow.
Where can I find Korean ingredients?
Asian grocery stores, Korean online shops, and larger supermarkets with an Asian section are usually the easiest places to start.