Name: Soybean Paste Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons Doenjang (soybean paste); 8 oz Tofu (firm, cubed); 1 medium Zucchini (sliced); 1 medium Potato (diced); 3 oz Mushrooms (sliced); ½ medium Onion (sliced); 2 stalks Green onion; 2 cloves Garlic (minced); 3 cups Anchovy stock or chicken broth; 1 teaspoon Sesame oil

There's a running joke among Koreans about doenjang — that the smell is enough to drive people out of the kitchen. It's not an unfair description. The paste is deeply fermented, pungent in a way that's hard to describe politely. I've watched non-Korean friends take a whiff and look at me with genuine concern before I've even started cooking.

My first apartment abroad had thin walls and an open kitchen. My neighbor, a Thai guy named Nattawut who cooked fragrant curries that I could smell from the hallway, knocked on my door once when I was making doenjang jjigae. He wanted to know what I was cooking. He'd detected something he couldn't place.

I showed him the paste — dark brown, chunky, smelling like the bottom of an ancient fermented barrel. He agreed it was alarming. Then I added it to the pot and let it dissolve into the simmering anchovy broth. The recipe says to stir until it completely dissolves — undissolved chunks taste unpleasantly strong. Once it's in, the whole character of the broth changes. The raw funk softens into something earthy and deeply savory.

Nattawut stayed and ate with me. He said it reminded him of certain Thai fermented shrimp pastes — different, but in the same family of "things that smell extreme and taste essential." He understood doenjang in a way a lot of Western friends didn't, because he had a reference point.

The stew is honest food. Tofu, zucchini, onion, garlic. Nothing fancy. What makes it work is the paste itself — fermented soybeans that have been aging for months or years, concentrated into two tablespoons that transform a pot of broth into something that tastes like it's been cooking for hours.

Instructions

Dice potato into ½-inch cubes. Slice zucchini into half-moons about ½ inch thick. Cube the tofu. Mince garlic.

Tip: Doenjang (fermented soybean paste) has a very strong, funky smell — this is normal and good. The strong smell mellows as it cooks. It is the Korean equivalent of miso, but stronger.

In a clay pot or medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of anchovy stock (or chicken broth) to a boil over medium-high heat.

Tip: A traditional clay pot (ttukbaegi) keeps the stew hot at the table. But any pot works fine.

Add the potato and onion first (they take longest to cook). Boil for 5 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons of doenjang to the pot. Stir until it completely dissolves in the broth. Add minced garlic.

Tip: Dissolve the paste fully — undissolved chunks of doenjang taste unpleasantly strong. Taste the broth at this point: it should be salty, savory, and slightly funky.

Add zucchini, mushrooms, and tofu. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 8–10 minutes until all vegetables are cooked through.

Add green onion and turn off heat. Taste the broth — add a pinch more doenjang if not salty enough. Optionally drizzle with sesame oil. Serve with rice.

Soybean Paste Stew

Doenjang Jjigae

Prep: 10 minCook: 20 minTotal: 30 minServings: 3

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Doenjang (soybean paste)
8 oz Tofu (firm, cubed)
1 medium Zucchini (sliced)
1 medium Potato (diced)(optional)
3 oz Mushrooms (sliced)(optional)
½ medium Onion (sliced)
2 stalks Green onion
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
3 cups Anchovy stock or chicken broth
1 teaspoon Sesame oil(optional)

Instructions

Dice potato into ½-inch cubes. Slice zucchini into half-moons about ½ inch thick. Cube the tofu. Mince garlic.
In a clay pot or medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of anchovy stock (or chicken broth) to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the potato and onion first (they take longest to cook). Boil for 5 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of doenjang to the pot. Stir until it completely dissolves in the broth. Add minced garlic.
Add zucchini, mushrooms, and tofu. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 8–10 minutes until all vegetables are cooked through.
Add green onion and turn off heat. Taste the broth — add a pinch more doenjang if not salty enough. Optionally drizzle with sesame oil. Serve with rice.