Country-style Soybean Paste Stew
Quick answer
A traditional stew featuring the deep, earthy flavor of country-style fermented soybean paste.
- Sigol-doenjang-jjigae amplifies the heavy, rustic saltiness of country-style soybean paste with starchy potatoes and a sharp, spicy kick from fresh green chili peppers.
- Country doenjang added with potato from the start deepens as it simmers
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Add dried anchovies and kelp to a pot, simmer for 10 minutes, then remove them to yield 500ml of broth.
- 2 Cube 1 potato into 2cm pieces, cut half a zucchini into half-moons, chop hal...
- 3 Add the potato to the boiling broth first, then pass 3 tablespoons of doenja...
A traditional stew featuring the deep, earthy flavor of country-style fermented soybean paste.
What Makes This Special
- Sigol-doenjang-jjigae amplifies the heavy, rustic saltiness of country-style soybean paste with starchy potatoes and a sharp, spicy kick from fresh green chili peppers.
- Country doenjang added with potato from the start deepens as it simmers
- Anchovy-kelp stock provides the backbone that supports heavy paste salinity
- Cheongyang chili cuts through the dense fermented funk with sharp heat
Instructions
- 1
Add dried anchovies and kelp to a pot, simmer for 10 minutes, then remove them to yield 500ml of broth. Removing the anchovy guts before simmering reduces bitterness.
- 2
Cube 1 potato into 2cm pieces, cut half a zucchini into half-moons, chop half an onion into chunks, and slice the green onion and cheongyang pepper diagonally.
- 3
Add the potato to the boiling broth first, then pass 3 tablespoons of doenjang through a strainer into the broth. Straining the paste ensures it dissolves evenly with no lumps.
- 4
When the broth comes back to a boil, add zucchini, onion, and 0.5 tablespoon of minced garlic and continue simmering over medium heat. Move to the next step when a chopstick goes halfway through the potato.
- 5
Once the vegetables are cooked through, roughly break half a block of tofu into pieces by hand and add to the pot, then simmer for 3 more minutes.
- 6
Add the green onion and cheongyang pepper and bring to one last boil to finish. Leaving the pepper seeds increases heat, removing them keeps only the aroma.
Tips
Nutrition (per serving)
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Korean Chive Clam Jeon (Garlic Chive and Clam Seafood Pancake)
Buchu-bajirak-jeon is a seafood pancake of garlic chives and clam meat, pan-fried in a batter made with a mix of all-purpose pancake flour and rice flour. The rice flour addition increases the chew and gives the finished jeon a slightly more resilient texture than plain flour batters. Clam meat releases a briny, oceanic liquid as it cooks that seeps into the batter and flavors it throughout, while the chives add a sharp, grassy counterpoint. Minced garlic and diagonally sliced cheongyang chili worked into the batter suppress any fishiness and build a layered fragrance. A generous amount of oil in the pan over medium heat produces edges that crisp and brown like the outside of a fritter. Waiting until the bottom is fully set before flipping prevents the pancake from tearing. Served with soy dipping sauce or a seasoned soy mixture, the clean salinity of the clams comes through clearly.
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