Doenjang-jjigae (된장찌개, Soybean Paste Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Ttukbaegi (Korean earthenware pot) or 2-quart heavy pot
• •Small fine-mesh strainer
• •Slotted spoon
• •Measuring spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the anchovies

   Snap the heads from the dried anchovies and pinch out the dark guts. This takes three minutes and saves the broth from bitterness. Cut the vegetables before the pot goes on: potato thin enough to cook through, zucchini thick enough to keep its shape, tofu in cubes that will not break at the first stir.

   Use the second rice-rinsing water if you have it, not the first cloudy rinse. The second rinse gives body to the stew without bringing grit into the pot.
2. 2

   Build the broth

   Put the water or rice-rinsing water, kelp, and cleaned anchovies into a ttukbaegi or 2-quart pot over medium heat. When the water reaches a gentle simmer, pull out the kelp right away. Kelp left too long turns the broth slick and bitter. Simmer the anchovies 8 minutes more, then lift them out.

3. 3

   Dissolve the doenjang

   Set a small strainer over the pot and press 3 tablespoons doenjang through it into the broth. This is not for prettiness. It keeps hard lumps of paste from hiding at the bottom, where one spoonful becomes too salty and the next tastes thin. Stir in the gochugaru now if you want a little warmth and color.

4. 4

   Cook the firm vegetables

   Add the potato and onion. Simmer 5 to 6 minutes, until the potato edges begin to soften but the slices are not falling apart. These go first because they need time, and because onion sweetens the broth as it cooks.

5. 5

   Add zucchini and mushrooms

   Add the zucchini and shiitake mushrooms, if using. Simmer 4 minutes. Do not boil hard. A good doenjang-jjigae has vegetables you can still recognize in the spoon, not a pot of softened scraps.

6. 6

   Warm the tofu

   Slide in the tofu and scatter the minced garlic over the broth. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the tofu is warmed through. Taste before you add anything. If the broth tastes flat, add 1 teaspoon more doenjang. If it tastes too salty, add 1/4 cup water and let it come back to a simmer.

7. 7

   Finish at the table

   Lay the sliced chili and scallions on top and turn off the heat. Let them soften in the pot's heat instead of cooking them dull. Carry the ttukbaegi straight to the table with rice. Write down the amount of doenjang you used when it tastes right. Memory is a borrowed bowl.

Chef Tips

• •Taste your doenjang before it enters the pot. A long-fermented country paste can be deep and salty, needing only 2 1/2 tablespoons here. A mild supermarket tub may need the extra teaspoon. The number is not stubbornness; the tasting is the point.
• •The safe shortcut is broth made ahead. A clean anchovy-kelp broth kept in the refrigerator turns this into a fast weeknight stew. The unsafe shortcut is skipping the broth and trying to repair the pot with more paste.
• •Cook the month you're standing in. Summer zucchini is sweet and soft, autumn mushrooms deepen the broth, winter radish or potato makes it sturdier. Keep the cut sizes honest so each vegetable finishes at the same time.
• •If adding clams, use 150g small scrubbed clams and add them with the tofu. Simmer just until they open, and discard any that stay shut. Then use a little less doenjang at the start, because clams season the broth too.
• •Leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator, but the stew is best fresh. Reheat gently until the broth simmers; hard boiling makes the tofu tough and the zucchini tired.

Advance Preparation

• •Cleaned dried anchovies can be kept in a sealed container in the freezer, so the broth starts faster on a weeknight.
• •Anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for 1 month. Chill it quickly and keep it covered.
• •Vegetables can be cut up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated separately from the tofu. Cut tofu just before cooking if you want clean edges in the pot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)