Doenjangguk with bok choy and tofu

Cheonggyeongchae dubu-doenjangguk 청경채 두부된장국

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.

Posted on Tuesday, October 8th, 2019 at 7:37 pm. Last updated on February 14, 2020.
Tagged: bok choy doenjangguk, bok choy soup, cheonggyeongchae doenjangguk, Cheonggyeongchae dubu-doenjangguk, doenjangguk, 된장국, 복초이된장국, 청경채된장국, 청경채두부된장국, Korean cooking, Korean fermented soybean paste soup, korean food, Korean soup, Maangchi, Maangchi's recipes

13 Comments:

ahw Los Angeles joined 10/16 & has 11 comments
Posted February 12th, 2021 at 11:56 am | Log in to reply.

I made this last night. Delicious! Thank you so much, Maangchi!

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- Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 112 comments
  Posted February 14th, 2021 at 1:31 am | Log in to reply.
  
  Great! Happy cooking!
a_westervelt Portland OR USA joined 10/20 & has 7 comments
Posted October 24th, 2020 at 5:44 pm | Log in to reply.

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! :)

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- Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 112 comments
  Posted October 30th, 2020 at 5:22 am | Log in to reply.
  
  I’m happy to hear that you like anchovy broth just like me. The soup looks so good!
Sporifix Houston TX joined 4/20 & has 5 comments
Posted June 17th, 2020 at 1:08 pm | Log in to reply.

Is there any reason soup soy wouldn’t work here in place of anchovies?
LKThomas001 Ohio joined 1/20 & has 1 comment
Posted January 5th, 2020 at 2:26 pm | Log in to reply.

Is the flour necessary? Or can it be omitted? I would like to make this gluten free. Thank you!
- Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 112 comments
  Posted October 30th, 2020 at 5:20 am | Log in to reply.
  
  Yes, you can skip flour.
wynthiacang Brooklyn joined 12/19 & has 1 comment
Posted December 5th, 2019 at 11:02 pm | Log in to reply.

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!
Falanah Canada joined 11/19 & has 1 comment
Posted November 5th, 2019 at 11:36 am | Log in to reply.

Hi Maangchi, do you have any suggestions for substituting the anchovies for someone allergic to fish?
- Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,051 comments
  Posted November 6th, 2019 at 11:34 am | Log in to reply.
  
  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
Zohar Israel joined 10/19 & has 1 comment
Posted October 17th, 2019 at 11:28 pm | Log in to reply.

Hi Maangchi thank you for all your wonderful tasty recipes, about this one will it work if I use fresh or frozen anchovies?
- Dracothea Canada joined 10/19 & has 1 comment
  Posted October 19th, 2019 at 10:35 pm | Log in to reply.
  
  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.
- Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,051 comments
  Posted November 6th, 2019 at 8:52 am | Log in to reply.
  
  No, large dried anchovies are used for stock.

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Doenjangguk with bok choy and tofu
Other English name(s): Bok choy tofu doenjang soup, doenjang soup with bok choy and tofu
Korean name: 청경채 두부된장국
Romanized: Cheonggyeongchae dubu-doenjangguk
Other Korean name(s): 복초이두부된장국

Categories: easy, fermented, non spicy, soup, spicy
Made with: bok choy, doenjang, dried anchovies, fish sauce, flour, garlic, gochujang, green chili pepper, hot pepper paste, soybean paste, tofu,