Dish · korean
Doenjang Jjigae
A stew built on fermented soybean paste, doenjang, simmered with tofu, zucchini, onion, and potato until the vegetables soften. Funkier and earthier than miso soup, with a thicker, coarser texture.
Where it comes from
Doenjang fermentation in large earthenware jars, called onggi, goes back centuries in Korean households, where families traditionally made their own paste once a year and aged it for months or years before using it in stews like this one.
What cooks argue about
The fight is over doenjang quality and age: homemade, long-fermented paste gives a deeper, funkier stew, while store-bought paste is milder and more consistent but lacks that same depth.
Versions
Nobody has published a doenjang jjigae here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
firm tofu
onion