This time I will introduce you to bok choy tofu doenjangguk. Doenjangguk is a soup made with Korean fermented soybean paste (doenjang) and a staple of Korean cuisine. This recipe is made with tofu and bok choy but there are many different types made with different ingredients. The one constant, unskippable ingredient is doenjang, which every Korean household has on hand, either store-bought or homemade.
I use bok choy in this recipe because it’s very easy to find, but you could substitute it with bunch spinach. The addition of tofu gives the soup a soft texture and protein.
This soup is hot, savory, and earthy, and makes your body warm and comfortable. No Korean would ever reject a large bowl of doenjangguk with a small bowl of warm rice, it’s our all-time favorite. In this video I served it with perilla leaf kimchi and sautéed zucchini and shrimp, but you could serve with whatever side dish you like. I recommend something with fish or just a little more protein, even as simple as a sunny side up egg. And of course don’t forget the warm rice!
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 8 to 10 ounces bok choy, split the leaves, rinsed, and drained
- 8 large dried anchovies, with the heads and guts cleaned
- ¼ cup doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- Fish sauce (or salt) to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 or 2 green chili peppers, sliced
- 1 pound tofu, cut into bite size pieces
Directions
Make stock:
- Place the anchovies in a soup strainer or a stock pouch and add to a large pot. Add 8 cups of water. Cover and boil for 10 minutes over medium high heat until boiling.
- Remove from the heat and uncover.
- Place a wire strainer in the pot. It can be a little submerged in the stock. Add doenjang, gochujang, and flour into the strainer and break it up with a wooden spoon so that it sifts into the stock. Discard any dregs remaining in the strainer.
Make soup:
- Add the bok choy, garlic, and green chili pepper. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over medium high heat until the anchovies are nicely infused into the stock.
- Add the tofu and gently stir a few times. Cover and cook another 5 minutes over medium high heat until the tofu turns soft.
- Remove the anchovy pouch.
- Taste the soup and add fish sauce or salt to your taste if you think it needs it. I added 2 teaspoons of fish sauce.
- Remove from the heat and serve right away with rice and side dishes.
I made this last night. Delicious! Thank you so much, Maangchi!
See full size image
Great! Happy cooking!
Would a miso type broth work with this please ? As I find it really difficult to buy dried anchovies and kelp where I live, here in the UK.
Thank you for your help.
A perfect soup for a chilly Fall day! The anchovy broth was great and the overall spiciness level was perfect! I think the next time I make it I might add some noodles for a little bulk but I’ll definitely make this again. Yummy x10! :)
See full size image
I’m happy to hear that you like anchovy broth just like me. The soup looks so good!
Is there any reason soup soy wouldn’t work here in place of anchovies?
Is the flour necessary? Or can it be omitted? I would like to make this gluten free. Thank you!
Yes, you can skip flour.
안녕하세요 Maangchi!! I love this recipe. This is my first time not just cooking with 된장, but eating it too. It is so delicious and this recipe was very approachable. Thank you for your website and your videos. I also made 쇠고기 무국 and it was so yummy too. I did not grow up eating Korean food because I come from a Chinese family, but when I became an adult and ate Korean food for the first time, I wanted to learn to cook it too. It is thanks to Maangchi that I can try these delicious foods in my own home! Thank you! 정말 고맙습니다!
Hi Maangchi, do you have any suggestions for substituting the anchovies for someone allergic to fish?
Yes! If you can’t use dried anchovies, make vegetable stock and use it instead of water.
Vegetable stock recipe is here. https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/chaeso-gukmul
Hi Maangchi thank you for all your wonderful tasty recipes, about this one will it work if I use fresh or frozen anchovies?
Hi, I don’t think this would work if the anchovies are not dried. You can order dried anchovies on Amazon if you can’t get them locally.
No, large dried anchovies are used for stock.