Delicious, warm, hearty, and comforting stew. Made with Doenjang jjigae and a freestyle of other ingredients, this Korean stew is a staple and one of the most representative dishes of everyday Korean meals. Learning this recipe for your next camping trip will be a sure-fire way to impress your group.
One of the main ingredients to this dish is Doenjang, a fermented soybean paste. This paste contains deep, rich flavors created by several months of fermentation and aging. Traditionally, this paste is made at home, but it can be found in most Korean or Asian supermarkets.
This stew can be made with meat such as pork or beef, or you can leave the meat out and make it vegetarian.
Tofu is typically used in this stew accompanied with onion, white radish(daikon), zucchini, mushroom/enoki mushroom, and jalapeno or a red pepper chili. White radish adds a sweet and cleanliness flavor to the stew; however; you can substitute this ingredient with white turnip or parsnip if it is not available. If you prefer a thicker stew, you can add potatoes.
Doenjang jjigae is best eaten with rice. A tip that we recommend when preparing this meal is to use to save the rice water that you used to rinse with to make the stock. The starch and flavor from the rice water will help bind the Doenjang.
Ingredients: 2 Servings
- 1-2 tablespoons of Doenjang Paste (Depending on the paste, some may have a more concentrated flavor than some. We recommend starting off with 1 tablespoon and adjust to your liking)
- 9 ounces of tofu
- ¼ of a large zucchini
- ¼ of medium brown onion
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- ½ of jalapeno or red chili pepper
- 2 ounces of Daikon
- 1 green onion
- Optional(Anchovy Stock): 1 ounce of dried anchovies, ¼ ounce of dried kelp, & ½ white onion
- Optional(Meat): 2 ounces of pork loin
Instructions
Prep:
- Cut the zucchini and tofu into about 1-inch cubes
- Thinly slice the onion and jalapeno
- Peel and cut daikon into thin squares
- Cut the green onion to about 2 inches in length for garnish
- Mince the garlic
Optional:
- If you’re planning to make this with anchovy stock, we recommend boiling this in a separate pot with the dried kelp and onions for 10-12 minutes
- If you’re using meat, slice the loin into thin strips
Cook:
- Heat up the pot and add some oil
- Add the loin and sauté it with the garlic, Doenjang, and pepper of choice over a medium-to-high heat for 3-4 minutes
- Pour the water or stock into the pot and add the radish. Let it boil for 4-5 minutes until the radish becomes slightly translucent
- Add the tofu, zucchini, onion, mushroom, and chili pepper and boil for another 5-7 minutes
- Garnish the stew with your green onion
- Serve with rice
