Geundae-doenjang-guk (근대된장국, Chard Soybean Paste Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium 3-quart pot
• •Fine-mesh strainer or deep soup ladle for dissolving doenjang
• •Large bowl for washing greens

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the chard

   Wash the chard in a basin of cold water, lifting the leaves out so the grit stays behind. Fold each leaf along the center rib and strip away any stem thicker than a pencil. Keep only tender stems, sliced 1/4 inch thick, and cut the leaves into 3-inch pieces. You should have about 220g trimmed greens. The measure matters because too many leaves turn a thin guk into a vegetable pot, and too few leave the broth empty.

   If your chard has wide red stems, save them for another dish or slice only the tenderest part very thin. They need more time than the leaves and can muddy this mild soup.
2. 2

   Make the broth

   Put the 6 cups liquid, kelp, and cleaned anchovies in a medium pot. Bring it slowly to a simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as the water trembles and small bubbles gather at the edge, because boiled kelp turns slick and bitter. Simmer the anchovies 8 more minutes, then remove them. You want about 5 cups of clean, savory broth.

3. 3

   Dissolve the doenjang

   Lower the heat to medium-low. Rub the doenjang through a small strainer into the broth, or mash it in a ladle with hot broth until no lumps remain. Start with 3 tablespoons. This is guk (soup), not jjigae (stew), so the broth should be savory and light enough to drink beside rice.

   Doenjang changes from jar to jar. Taste yours before it goes in, then write down whether your household paste needs the extra teaspoon. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway.
4. 4

   Add onion and tofu

   Add the sliced onion and any tender chard stems you kept. Simmer 2 minutes so the stems lose their raw edge. Add the tofu and garlic and simmer 3 minutes more. Tofu should warm through gently; hard boiling makes it rough and pushes the broth out of balance.

5. 5

   Cook the leaves

   Add the chard leaves and press them under the broth. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, just until the leaves slump and turn deeper green. Stop there. If you cook them until they collapse completely, the soup tastes dull and the chard no longer tastes like itself.

6. 6

   Season and serve

   Taste the broth. If it needs salt, add 1 teaspoon guk-ganjang or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, not another spoonful of doenjang unless the soybean flavor is weak. Stir in the scallions and the optional green chili, then turn off the heat. Serve at once with rice and kimchi. This is a soup for tonight's table, not a pot to wait an hour.

Chef Tips

• •Choose chard with lively leaves and slender ribs. If the stems are as wide as your thumb, the leaves can still be good, but the stems do not belong in this quick soup unless you slice them very thin and give them a head start.
• •Use the second rice-rinsing water, not the first. The first rinse carries dust from the rice; the second gives the broth a little body and helps the doenjang sit softly in the pot.
• •Do not make this red because you are bored. A green chili is enough if you want heat. Gochugaru can be good in many soups, but here it pulls attention from the chard.
• •For a vegetarian pot, skip the anchovies and simmer the kelp with 2 dried shiitake mushrooms for 15 minutes, removing the kelp at the first simmer. Add 1 teaspoon guk-ganjang at the end. It will taste cleaner and less deep, and that is an honest change.
• •If the market chard is leathery, cook the month you are standing in. Make spinach-doenjang-guk with tender spinach, or baechu-doenjang-guk with napa cabbage leaves instead of forcing tired greens into the bowl.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for 1 month. Bring it back to a simmer before adding the doenjang.
• •The chard can be washed, trimmed, and wrapped in a clean towel up to 1 day ahead. Cut the leaves after trimming, then keep them chilled so they do not wilt.
• •The finished soup is best fresh. Leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator, but reheat gently and stop as soon as the broth is hot so the greens do not darken further.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)