Doenjang Jjigae with Tofu and Zucchini 🍲🇰🇷

Description

Classic Korean soybean paste stew with a deep savory broth, tender tofu, and vegetables that stay bright and satisfying.
Hook ✨
This is the cozy bowl that tastes like a real Korean home kitchen, rich, clean, and seriously comforting.

Ingredients

• 🍲 1.2 l water (5 cups / 40 fl oz)
• 🌿 10 g dried kelp, kombu (1 piece, about 4×8 cm / 0.35 oz)
• 🐟 15 g dried anchovies, optional (½ cup / 0.5 oz)
• 🥣 45 g doenjang, Korean soybean paste (3 tbsp / 1.6 oz)
• 🌶️ 10 g gochujang, optional for extra depth (1½ tsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🧄 12 g garlic, minced (4 cloves / 0.4 oz)
• 🫚 5 g ginger, grated, optional (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🧅 120 g onion, sliced (1 cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🥒 200 g zucchini, half moons (2 cups / 7 oz)
• 🍄 150 g mushrooms, sliced (2 cups / 5.3 oz)
• 🌶️ 1 green chili, sliced, optional (1)
• 🧅 60 g scallions, sliced (½ cup / 2.1 oz)
• ⬜ 400 g firm tofu, cubed (14 oz)
• 🧂 5–8 ml soy sauce to adjust, optional (1–1½ tsp / 0.17–0.25 fl oz)
• ⚫ 1 g black pepper, optional (¼ tsp / 0.04 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Build the broth
2. Add water, kelp, and optional anchovies to a pot 2–3 l (2–3 qt). Bring to a gentle simmer, then remove kelp after 10 minutes and simmer 10 minutes more. 🍲
3. 2️⃣ Strain and return
4. Strain out solids and return the broth to the pot, keep it at a steady simmer over medium heat. 🔥
5. 3️⃣ Dissolve the doenjang
6. In a small bowl, whisk doenjang with a ladle of hot broth until smooth, then pour it back into the pot. 🥣
7. 4️⃣ Add aromatics
8. Add garlic and optional ginger, simmer 2 minutes to bloom the flavor without boiling hard. 🧄
9. 5️⃣ Cook the vegetables in stages
10. Add onion and mushrooms, simmer 4 minutes, then add zucchini and optional green chili, simmer 3 minutes more. 🥒
11. 6️⃣ Add tofu gently
12. Slide in tofu cubes and simmer 3 minutes, keep the simmer gentle so the tofu stays intact. ⬜
13. 7️⃣ Finish and balance
14. Add scallions, simmer 1 minute, then taste and adjust with a little soy sauce if needed, serve immediately. ✨

Total Time

⏱️ Prep: 10 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 26 min
🛋️ Rest: 0 min
⏰ Total: 36 min

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