Doenjang jjigae is a stew made with fermented soybean paste. This recipe is a variation made with an assortment of seafood for a refreshing, flavorful stew. Any type of seafood can be added. The typical additions are clams, mussels, shrimp, squid and oysters. You can use any of these or a combination.

A trick you can use for doenjang jjigae is to use a small amount of vinegar at the end. It will brighten the doenjang taste, making the stew even more delicious. Nothing’s better on a cool day than a hearty bowl of doenjang jjigae!

Ingredients:

1 cup assortment of seafood (a few small clams, 1/2 squid, 5 medium shrimp, etc.)

200 tofu

1/2 medium zucchini

3 to 4 mushroom caps

1/4 medium onion

80 grams Korean radish (mu)

1 chili pepper (green or red)

2 scallions

2 tablespoons Korean soybean paste (doenjang)

1 teaspoon Korean chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

3 cups of anchovy broth or water

For anchovy broth, boil about 7 or 8 medium dry anchovies and one 3-inch square dried kelp in 3 cups of water for 10 minutes.

Rinse and scrub the clams. Place the clams in salted water (1 tablespoon of salt in 2 to 3 cups of water) for 30 minutes or longer to get the clams to spit out the sand. Cut the squid into bite size pieces.

Cut the tofu into bite-size slices. Cut the zucchini, onion, mushrooms and radish into bite-size pieces. Roughly chop the scallion.

Add the anchovy broth (or water) and soybean paste to a small pot. Stir well to dissolve the soy bean paste. Add the radish and onion. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the tofu, zucchini, mushroom and chili pepper. Boil for an additional 2 minutes.

Add the seafood, starting with the clams. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the clams are open. Stir in the vinegar, and throw in the scallion. Cook for another minute or two.

By Ro Hyo-sun

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