Spicy Doenjang Jjigae - Korean Fermented Soybean Stew.
The most popular Korean comfort stew!
Recipe by Joanne Molinaro on February 24, 2025
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT20M
Rating
4.83 stars (17 reviews)
Keywords
doenjang jjigae, doenjang stew, korean stew, spicy doenjang jjigae
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp gochugaru
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, greens and whites separate
3 to 4 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup Korean squash or zucchini
1 cup Yukon gold potatoes (or any potatoes)
3 tbsp doenjang
2 tbsp soup soy sauce
2 to 3 cups vegetable stock
2 2-inch squares of dashima (dried kelp)
16 oz sliced tofu (soft, medium, firm, extra firm)
1 green chili pepper or jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
Korean
Steps
To a large ddukbaeggi (Korean clay pot) or medium Dutch oven over low heat, add sesame oil, olive oil, and gochugaru. Use chopsticks or a wooden spoon to stir the gochugaru in the oil so that it doesn't burn until it begins to foam (about 1 to 2 minutes). Then, add the garlic, onion, green onion (white parts only), mushrooms, zucchini, and potatoes. Sauté the vegetables in the chili-infused oil until fragrant, about 2 minutes.1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1 tbsp toasted sesame oil2 tbsp gochugaru1/4 cup diced onion2 cloves garlic, minced3 green onions, whites3 to 4 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced1/2 cup Korean squash or zucchini1 cup Yukon gold potatoes (or any potatoes)
Add the doenjang and stir until the vegetables are evenly coated. Then, deglaze the pot with soy sauce. Again, stir the vegetables so they are evenly coated. Add vegetable stock and raise the heat to medium-high. Add your dashima and bring your soup to a boil before reducing your heat to medium. Allow your soup to cook for an additional 10 minutes, until your potatoes are fork tender.3 tbsp doenjang2 tbsp soup soy sauce2 to 3 cups vegetable stock2 2-inch squares of dashima (dried kelp)
Add your tofu and green chili pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes, giving your tofu some time to suck up all the flavors. Remove the dried kelp and garnish with green onion (green parts).16 oz sliced tofu (soft, medium, firm, extra firm)1 green chili pepper or jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced3 green onions, greens and whites separate
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 186 kcal
Carbohydrates: 17 g
Protein: 11 g
Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 894 mg
Sugar: 4 g
Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
Reviews
Emily on 2026-07-06 (5 stars): My Korean husband has been eating Doenjang Jjigae his whole life. I've cooked for him for 45 years. Today I made this for the first time, and he said he has never tasted anything like it, and he could not believe how good it tastes. We think it is the hot oil-bloomed gochugaru which lends a new, distinctive flavor. Thank you for a great recipe! (and yes it is easy to burn the gochugaru, I burned the first batch and had to start over with low heat)
Ramdrew on 2026-06-17 (5 stars): Fabulous Jjigae! Hubby and I loved the flavors. We only have cold pressed sesame oil in our home, is there a reason you recommend not using that?
marion on 2026-06-16 (5 stars): Wow! Thank you for this! I am looking forward to making it. You are so generous with your recipes, history, education, and enthusiasm. I am very grateful for you and all you do.
Theresa on 2026-06-11 (5 stars): I'm feeling a bit under the weather, and so I decided to try this recipe today... I'm pretty sure it cured me. :) I just added extra mushrooms because I love mushrooms. :-D
Dennis on 2026-06-11 (5 stars): I really love this! I had to make two substitutions, and it was still superb. I will definitely make this again.
Lori Dolnick on 2026-06-09 (5 stars): So good!! I have a Korean grocery nearby and found all the ingredients. So easy and comforting!!
brigitte on 2026-06-08 (5 stars): Such good flavour and sooo easy to make. This was perfect for a rainy spring evening. It warmed my body up with all the flavour and heat.
Lori on 2026-06-07 (2 stars): I use a different kind of potato and chickpea miso because that’s what I had on hand. His result, the final dish was rather surprisingly bland. Let me try again when I have all the proper ingredients. Let this be a lesson to those consider considering using substitute ingredients. It’s not worth it.
Corey on 2026-06-02 (5 stars): I had been wanting to find a recipe to try doenjang in and I will be making this as many times as my family will eat it. It’s SO delicious!!
Allayna on 2026-02-21 (5 stars): I've now made this twice in the past week and a half - thank you so much for this recipe! This is so delicious and perfect for the cold weather we have in Edmonton right now.
Alisha Terry-Martin on 2026-02-21 (5 stars): I just made this with slightly less spice and it was wonderful. Perfect mesh of flavors with the potatoes and tofu. I am going to add this to my rotation of favorites.
