AI-generated image
Cheonggukjang jjigae
청국장찌개 (cheonggukjang jjigae): pungent quick-fermented soybean stew with tofu, squash and greens
Cheonggukjang is a sticky, quick-fermented soybean paste made over two or three days in a warm room, and in Korean homes it becomes a bubbling winter stew, cooked in an earthenware pot and set in the middle of the table with rice and banchan. Its smell is famously strong, but the taste is nutty and deeply savoury, with tofu, courgette, onion and greens simmered in an anchovy-kelp stock. Suitable as part of a balanced diet: it is high in plant protein and fibre. About 230 kcal and 14 g carbohydrate per portion; eat it with a small bowl of mixed-grain rice. The usual mistake is boiling the cheonggukjang for a long time, which makes it bitter and dulls its flavour; it goes in for the last few minutes. Chef's tip: mash a spoon of doenjang in with it for a rounder, saltier base.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups anchovy and kelp stock
- ½ onionchopped
- 1 courgette (Korean squash)cut into half-moons
- 3 ½ oz oyster or shiitake mushroomssliced
- 3 ½ oz well-fermented kimchi (optional)chopped
- 1 tsp Korean chilli flakes
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 10 ½ oz firm tofucubed
- 1 tbsp doenjang
- 1 green chillisliced
- 1 spring onionsliced
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (8)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring the 3 ¼ cups anchovy and kelp stock to the boil in an earthenware pot or small saucepan. Add the ½ onion, 1 courgette (Korean squash), 3 ½ oz oyster or shiitake mushrooms, 3 ½ oz well-fermented kimchi, 1 tsp Korean chilli flakes and 2 cloves garlic and simmer for 8 minutes until the courgette is just tender.
10 minStep 2: Add the 10 ½ oz firm tofu and simmer 3 minutes.
3 minStep 3: Mash the 4 oz cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste) and 1 tbsp doenjang with a ladle of broth, then stir it into the pot. Add the 3 ½ oz spinach or napa cabbage leaves and 1 green chilli.
2 minStep 4: Simmer for only 3–4 minutes more, until the greens wilt and the broth turns cloudy and thick. Taste; add a little more doenjang if needed.
4 minStep 5: Scatter with 1 spring onion and serve bubbling in the pot.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cheonggukjang jjigae take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of courgette (korean squash)?
- Cucumber, same weight (raw dishes only).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Soto Banjar
Along the rivers of Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, breakfast often means soto Banjar eaten at a wooden riverside warung, sometimes after a dawn trip to the floating market. Unlike the turmeric sotos of Java, this broth is pale and clear, perfumed with the sweet spices that traders brought up the river centuries ago: cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and nutmeg. Shredded chicken, glass noodles, carrot and a boiled egg go into the bowl with rice cakes, and lime and a little chilli sharpen it at the table. Chef's tip: toast the whole spices in the pan for a minute before the paste goes in; it brings out their sweetness without the dusty edge of ground spice.
Indonesian
Sopa da pedra
Almeirim, a market town in the Ribatejo, is the capital of this soup; its restaurants serve it every day, and each bowl arrives with a clean stone at the bottom, after the folk tale of a friar who 'made soup from a stone' by talking villagers into giving him everything else. This is a pork soup: red kidney beans simmer with chouriço, morcela blood sausage and a piece of pork belly, then potatoes, carrots and coriander finish it into a thick, hearty bowl. Chef's tip: cook the sausages whole and slice them at the end, so they stay juicy and don't turn the broth greasy.
Portuguese
Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki (떡볶이) is Korea's best-loved street snack: chewy cylinders of rice cake simmered in a thick, glossy, sweet and spicy red sauce. It became a classic in Seoul, where it is sold from street stalls and snack bars in every neighbourhood. Street versions use anchovy stock and fish cakes; this vegan version uses a quick kelp and shiitake stock with cabbage and spring onions, and has all the same punch. Eat it hot, while the rice cakes are soft and stretchy. Chef's tip: keep stirring and scrape the bottom; the rice cakes release starch that thickens the sauce but also catches. The sauce is right when it clings to the spoon in a glossy coat.
