This comforting stew is flavored with doenjang a fermented soybean paste that's even tastier than miso.
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Korean Soybean Paste Stew (Doenjang Jjigae – 된장찌개)
Serious Mealtimes / Vicky Wasik
I first started experimenting in the kitchen when I was studying in Oxford England living with a host family of friendly but reserved professors. I made all sorts of food but I held back on one Korean dish in particular: doenjang jjigae (된장찌개). Doenjang jjigae is about as classic as it gets when it comes to Korean comfort food. It’s one of the country’s most popular stews and can be eaten at any time of day whether it’s for breakfast lunch or dinner. It’s one of the first things you learn to cook when you move out of your parents’ house: it’s easily adaptable to whatever vegetables and proteins you have on hand it’s relatively simple to make and it doesn’t require a lot of banchan (small side dishes) to go with it. It’s a complete meal packed with vegetables and fermented soy protein which was especially important long ago when meat wasn’t a common component of the Korean diet.
Doenjang the soybean paste that forms the base of this broth is also one of our most pungent fermented foods: it’s similar to miso but darker sharper earthier saltier and wheat-free. For Koreans it’s a nostalgic mouth-watering scent. For those unfamiliar with doenjang it can come as a bit of a shock. (For tips on which brands of doenjang to look for check out this article on Korean pantry staples.)
