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Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Soybean Paste Stew)

My best doenjang jjigae recipe! Learn how to make staple Korean stew – doenjang jjigae (Korean soybean paste stew) at home. It’s hearty and comforting!

Doenjang Jjigae with Korean rice and side dishes

What is Doenjang Jjigae

Doenjang jjigae (된장찌개) is one of the most popular Korean stew dishes made with Korean soybean paste (doenjang), a type of fermented bean paste made of soybean and brine. 

Typically, special soup stock, meat (or seafood), tofu and vegetables of your choice is added into the stew. Popular vegetables here are zucchini, potatoes, onions, and Korean or daikon radishes.

While some Koreans still make doenjang at home, many Koreans including myself buy it from a Korean grocer from a convenience factor. In case you’re wondering, the doenjang below is what I used in this recipe.

Doenjang in a container

Like bolognese sauce varies slightly from household to household, doenjang jjigae recipe varies in Korean households too.

Today’s recipe is specially made with beef, rice water, and ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce) among other typical doenjang jjigae ingredients. Do you want to find out more?

Key Features & Tips

  • Beef brisket or any cuts that are suitable for soup and stew.

Beef provides additional protein, but it also adds nice savory flavor into the stew. Popular cuts for soup and stew are chadolbagi (차돌박이) and usamgyeop (우삼겹) – beef plate. I’ve also made it with shabu shabu cut beef, but I find that the meat is a bit too lean. So if you boil it for a long time, it can get tough.

So my preference is using the fatty part of beef, but trimming off excess fat. If you’re trimming the fat off, you may want to use more meat to compensate for the loss of weight from the fat.

 

  • Rice water (water obtained from rinsing rice, known as ssaltteumul (쌀뜨물)) – Typically when I make Korean soup or stew, I use dried anchovy and dried kelp based stock. You can see the example from my other soybean paste soup recipe – doenjang guk.

But another popular soup stock choice is rice water and I wanted to give it a try in this recipe. The added bonus here is that it’s more convenient than dried anchovy and dried kelp soup stock. All you need to do is save some rice water when you rinse your rice. I would suggest saving the water from the 2-3 rounds of rinsing.

Doenjang Jjigae Ingredients

  • Ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce) – This is not a common ingredient in soup/stew recipes as gochujang, but I read somewhere that this is the key ingredient in making restaurant style doenjang jjigae.! Secret is out now. 😉

I’ve never added ssamjang in my doenjang jjigae recipe in the past, but boy! it does make a difference. It gives stronger and more pungent flavor, which I quite liked. If you don’t like this flavor, you can omit it. It still tastes nice.

 

  • Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) – Gochugaru is used to add a bit of heat into the stew along with fresh green/red chilies, which are optional.

Sometimes, I use gochujang instead of gochugaru, but since I decided to add ssamjang, I thought gochugaru would be a better choice. If you or your dining companions can’t tolerate spicy food well, you could omit it.

Ingredients

  • 160g / 5.6 ounces beef brisket or any cuts that are suitable for soup and stew, thinly sliced (ideally paper thin) and cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 Tbsp rice wine (mirim)
  • A few cracks ground black pepper
  • 3.5 cups rice water, obtained by rinsing rice
  • 3 Tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
  • 1 Tbsp ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce)
  • 2 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 100g / 3.5 ounces potato (all rounder variety), thinly sliced
  • 90g / 3.1 ounces zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 35g / 1.2 ounces onion, thinly sliced
  • 100g / 3.5 ounces enoki mushrooms, stems removed & separated
  • 45g / 1.5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 250g / 8.8 ounces tofu, sliced into medium rectangle pieces
  • 20g / 0.7 ounces green onions, thinly sliced
  • (optional) 2-3 chilies (green and red), thinly sliced

* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml

** If you want to learn more about Korean ingredients, check my essential Korean ingredients list. 

How to Make Doenjang Jjigae

1. Combine the beef with rice wine and black peppers in a bowl. Mix them well. Preheat a medium sized pot briefly over medium high heat. Add the meat and stir. (You won’t need to add any oil as the meat should have some fat attached to it.) Cook until it browns. Add the potatoes and stir for about 2 mins.

Stir frying beef and potatoes in a heavy pot

2. Pour over the rice water and start boiling. Add doenjang (Korean soybean paste) and ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce) into the water, using a sieve, so it is easier to dissolve. Add gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) and garlic. Stir around.

Adding rice water and doenjang jjigae sauce

3. Once the water starts rolling boiling, add the zucchini and onions. Boil for 1 min. Add the mushrooms and tofu then boil for 1 min. Add green onions and chilies and boil a further 1 min. Remove from the heat.

Adding remainder vegetables and tofu

4. Serve with steamed rice and other Korean side dishes. (i.e. the side dish below shows – Korean egg roll, seasoned seaweed, radish kimchi)

Korean soybean paste stew served with Korean egg rolls, seasoned seaweed and radish kimchi

Beef Doenjang Jjigae in a heavy pot

Do you like Korean stew? If so, why not try my most popular kimchi jjigae recipe?

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Beef Doenjang Jjigae in a heavy pot

Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Soybean Paste Stew)

Try my best doenjang jjigae recipe. It's so hearty and delicious!
5 from 19 votes
Print Pin Rate Save
Course: Stew
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: doenjang jjigae, korean soybean paste stew
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 154kcal
Author: Sue | My Korean Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 160 g beef brisket or any cuts that are suitable for soup and stew, (5.6 ounces), thinly sliced (ideally paper thin) and cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 Tbsp rice wine (mirim)
  • A few cracks ground black pepper
  • 3.5 cups rice water , obtained by rinsing rice
  • 3 Tbsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
  • 1 Tbsp ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce)
  • 2 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 100 g potato (3.5 ounces), all rounder variety, thinly sliced
  • 90 g zucchini (3.1 ounces), thinly sliced
  • 35 g onion (1.2 ounces), thinly sliced
  • 100 g enoki mushrooms (3.5 ounces), stems removed and separated
  • 45 g shiitake mushrooms (1.5 ounces), thinly sliced
  • 250 g tofu (8.8 ounces), sliced into medium rectangle pieces
  • 20 g green onions (0.7 ounces), thinly sliced
  • 2-3 chilies (optional), green and red, thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Combine the beef with rice wine and black peppers in a bowl. Mix them well. Preheat a medium sized pot briefly over medium high heat. Add the meat and stir. (You won’t need to add any oil as the meat should have some fat attached to it.) Cook until it browns. Add the potatoes and stir for about 2 mins.
  • Pour over the rice water and start boiling. Add doenjang (Korean soybean paste) and ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce) into the water, using a sieve, so it is easier to dissolve. Add gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) and garlic. Stir around.
  • Once the water starts rolling boiling, add the zucchini and onions. Boil for 1 min. Add the mushrooms and tofu then boil for 1 min. Add green onions and chilies and boil a further 1 min. Remove from the heat.
  • Serve with steamed rice and other Korean side dishes. (i.e. the side dish above shows – Korean egg rollseasoned seaweedradish kimchi)

Notes

* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml
** If you want to learn more about Korean ingredients, check my essential Korean ingredients list.

Nutrition Info (per serving)

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 629mg | Potassium: 563mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 606IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 3mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Tried this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Rate this recipe with a comment below and tag me on Instagram @MyKoreanKitchen.

Written by: Sue

Last Updated:

Welcome to my Korean kitchen! I’m so happy that you're here. I am Sue, the creator behind My Korean Kitchen (since 2006). I love good food and simplifying recipes. Here you will find my best and family approved recipes. Thanks for stopping by!

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41 Comments
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Ray
January 15, 2024 7:55 am

If I want to have a meat free version do I still use the mirin and leave the meat out? Or leave both the mirin and the meat out? 🤔

Raymond
January 17, 2024 8:44 am
Reply to  Sue

Thank you. Will give it a try for dinner tomorrow. The original recipe is amazing!

Leana
June 21, 2023 3:02 pm

Hi Sue! I was just wondering, I have mirin and the doenjang paste, I also was able to get some hotpot sliced beef, would that work with this recipe? Sorry for the silly question!

Also, how much gochujang would I need to use if I don’t have ssamjang? 🙂

Elzbieta
June 9, 2023 8:22 am

Soooo good. I didn’t have any tofu at hand, but I used more beef. It came out delicious! Thank you for another great recipe,Sue!

Jenni
October 11, 2021 1:37 am

I have been making doenjang jjigae for years and finding this recipe with the surprise addition of ssamjang is incredibly nice surprise. I will be making it this way from now on! Thank you so much for posting this.

Anna Ong
August 11, 2021 11:31 am

Hi, if i dont hv ssamjang, what can I substitute it with? Or the best substitute? Miso?
Tq.

Ashley F.
June 8, 2021 2:03 am

This is now a staple recipe in my household. I love it so much. I tried another recipe before finding this one and I regret not coming here first. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe.

Elizabeth Ng
May 6, 2021 12:58 pm

This recipe is awesome and easy to follow. For a novice in the kitchen, I’m delighted that the Korean dishes I cook using Sue’s recipes are tasty. I have made this doenjang jjigae twice. Both times were a hit!

Thank you, Sue, for your delicious and doable recipes.

David Lee Mann
April 1, 2021 7:45 am

I served in Korea for 3 years and love the food & people. Thank you from some one who likes good food

Ong Ji lean
March 20, 2021 11:28 pm

Tried this recipe using water as forgot to keep the water from washing rice and it turned out well. I did have to add in a tablespoon more soup stock (I used the Japanese noodle soup base) as it was a bit bland but that could be because I had added a bit more water than stated in the recipe. The dish was well received by my family. So far, the recipes I have tried from your site have all turned out well so looking forward to trying out more dishes. Thank you for your easy to follow instructions.

Jane Ho Teng leen
March 10, 2021 7:32 am

Very yummy. I enjoy it very much

Gabor
February 9, 2021 1:50 am

Good recipe, but I think I’ll try it without ssamjang next time.

I’ve read it is possible to replace it with a bit of gochujang, that seems promising, too.

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