Korean Grilled Doenjang Onions
Quick answer
- Total time
- 22 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Onions are sliced into 2 cm rings, secured with skewers, and grilled over medium heat while being brushed with a sauce of doenjang, gochujang, minced garlic, perilla oil, and water.
Read more
Over eight to ten minutes of flipping and re-brushing, the onion's moisture evaporates and its natural sugars concentrate into pronounced sweetness, while the doenjang chars lightly at the edges to add a toasted, earthy note. Perilla oil softens the salt intensity of the doenjang, and a finish of sliced green chili and ground sesame layers in mild heat and nuttiness. At 146 calories per serving, this is a low-calorie side dish that also works as a light accompaniment to drinks.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Peel the 2 onions and slice them into 2 cm rings.
Push skewers or toothpicks through the sides so the layers stay together and the rings do not fall apart when flipped.
- 2Prep
In a bowl, mix 1.5 tablespoons doenjang, 0.5 tablespoon gochujang, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon perilla oil, and 2 tablespoons water until smooth enough to brush.
- 3Season
Once the doenjang and gochujang are evenly loosened with 2 tablespoons of water and thin enough to brush, grill without diluting the sauce further.
- 4Control
Preheat the grill pan over medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the onions and cook for 3 minutes.
Flip when the edges look translucent and light grill marks appear.
- 5Season
Brush a thin layer of sauce on the flipped side and grill for 3 more minutes.
If the doenjang darkens too quickly, lower the heat slightly and rebrush only dry spots.
- 6Finish
Flip once more, brush with the remaining sauce, and grill for 2 to 3 minutes.
When the onions are tender but still hold their shape, finish with sliced green chili and ground sesame.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Yangpa-doenjang-gui concentrates onion sugars through slow grilling with a savory doenjang glaze.
- Finish cue
- When the onions are tender but still hold their shape, finish with sliced green chili and ground sesame.
- Avoid this
- Push skewers or toothpicks through the sides so the layers stay together and the rings do not fall apart when flipped.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
22min, 8 ingredients
Category median
32min, 8 ingredients
Based on 173 recipes
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