Doenjang-jigae also known as Korean soybean paste stew is the perfect recipe for a cold winter day especially in Minnesota! It’s salty, hearty and definitely warms the soul. My Korean soybean paste stew is easy, simple and delicious! It takes as little as 5 minutes to prepare and another 15 minutes to cook and voila it’s done.
It’s difficult to find Korean zucchini at my local Asian market so I used regular zucchini in my recipe. I opted for low sodium chicken broth as my stew base but you can also use vegetable broth if you are vegan. Just make sure it’s low sodium or no salt because the soybean paste is pretty salty so this recipe requires no additional salt. Soybean paste (Doenjang) is the heart of this recipe so make sure to use a good quality doenjang.
I used a Korean dolsot stone bowl whenever I make any Korean stews but it’s not necessary as long as you use a heavy bottom pot. Be extra careful if you decide to use a Korean dolsot stone bowl because it gets extremely hot. I always wear kitchen pot holders when removing it from the stove.
Add the zucchini, yellow onion, garlic, soybean paste (doenjang) and chicken or vegetable broth to the dolsot stone bowl and mix to loosen the doenjang. Once it comes to a boil add the tofu for extra protein and let it boil for 5 minutes before adding the soybean sprouts and gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes). I like my food spicy. The gochugaru is not necessary and traditionally it is not used in doenjang-jigae. Let it boil for another minute, turn off the stove and add the slice green onions. Drizzle a tiny bit of sesame oil on top for the toasty aroma and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with a bowl of hot rice. Simple, easy and delicious! Enjoy!
- 2½ TBS soybean paste (doenjang)
- ¼ cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 zucchini
- 1 green onion
- ¼ cup soybean sprouts
- 4 ounces of firm tofu
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- ¼ tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp sesame seeds
- Add zucchini, yellow onion, garlic, soybean paste (doenjang) and chicken or vegetable broth to pot.
- Place pot on stove on medium high.
- When pot starts to boil add the tofu and let it boil for 5 minutes.
- Add soybean sprouts and gochugaru (Korean pepper falkes) and stir.
- Turn off heat and add the sliced green onions.
- Drizzle sesame oil and sprinkle sesame seeds.
