Duenjang-jjigae is the queen of Korean stews, which is made of Korean soybean paste and a variety of vegetables. You can use myulchi broth, which is the most commonly used ingredient, but you can also use seafood or meat as a soup base. Sometimes it’s even more difficult to grasp a classic dish and I had a hard time mastering duenjang-jjigae. Finally after several years of practicing, I can finally say my duenjang-jjigae is delicious. These days, I do not use rice washed water, which is traditionally used to thicken the stew, due to the scare of arsenic in rice but instead add potatoes. Serve it with rice or even better with a meat dish such as bulgogi or galbi.

Related recipes: Chadolbagi-duenjang-jjigae (차돌박이 된장찌개): Soybean Paste Stew with Thinly Sliced Brisket, Myulchi Yuksoo (멸치육수): Dried Anchovy Broth, Samgyupsal-guyi & Ssamjang (삼겹살 구이 & 쌈장): Roasted Pork Belly & Lettuce Wrap, Yachae Gangduenjang-jjigae (야채강된장찌개): Vegetable Soybean Paste Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of myulchi broth (click here to learn how to make myulchi broth) or sagol broth
• 1/2 onion, chopped into small pieces
• 1/3 zucchini, chopped into thin half-moon shaped or 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 potato, peels and cut into about 3/4 inch cubes
• 2-3 tablespoons of duenjang (된장)
• 1/2 tablespoon of gochujang (고추장, red pepper paste)
• 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 3-4 shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced or enoki or oyster mushrooms
• 1/2 package of firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 jalapeños or serrano pepper, thinly sliced in round shapes
• 1 scallion, thinly chopped

1. Bring the myulchi broth to a boil and add the onion, zucchini and potato.
2. Add the duenjang and gochujang. You can add a little more or less duenjang depending on the saltiness of the duenjang you purchase.
3. When the potatoes are fully cooked, add the garlic, mushrooms and tofu. Cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the thinly sliced peppers and scallions.
5. Taste the duenjang-jjigae and add salt if needed.