I’m very happy to introduce kongbiji jjigae recipe to you today. When I think about kongbiji jjigae, the first thing that comes up in my mind is the sizzling stew served in a stone pot in the winter!
Kongbiji is soy pulp. When tofu or soy milk is made, soaked soy beans are pureed and then filtered through a sack. The soy pulp left in the sack after being squeezed it looks like a lump of mozzarella!
I use pureed soy beans for this stew instead of soy pulp.
If I’m asked which dish was the most delicious food that my grand mother made, I will say, “kongbiji jjigae!”
I was fascinated with her kongbiji jjigae when I saw and tasted it for the first time in my life!
She bought a lump of kongbiji at a local tofu factory in her town. I used to follow her when she went shopping for soy pulp. When she made this stew for breakfast on a freezing cold day in the winter, it was always in the center of the table.
Whenever she was ready to serve a meal, she said, “Open the table!” She had several different sizes of tables, stored between the rice chest and the wall. My uncles took out the largest circular wooden table. The table legs were folded, so several tables could be placed in the small gap.
One of my uncles unfolded the legs of the table, another cleaned the table with wet cloth. My uncles set spoons, chopsticks, and side dishes on the table. Then my grand mother scooped rice from her huge iron pot into small individual bowls. My uncles and I used to help her put the bowls on the table. Then the last dish was this sizzling stew! She always brought it at the last minute, so all family members could enjoy it hot, as long as possible.
When I tasted her kongbiji jjigae for the first time, I could not believe such a delicious dish existed in the world! : )
Yield
:
4 servings
Cooking time
40 minutes
Ingredients
soy beans, pork, kimchi, green onions, garlic, red chili pepper, green chili pepper, fish sauce, sesame oil, dried shiitake mushrooms, dried anchovies, dried kelp
Directions
- Soak ½ cup dried soy beans in cold water overnight (at least 12 hours).
- Rinse and drain the soaked soy beans. (They will expand to more than 1 cup)
- Make stock:
In a thick bottomed pot, add 4 cups water, 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, 8 large dried anchovies (after removing the guts), and 4×5 inch pieces of dried kelp. Bring to a boil for 20 minutes over medium high heat.
- Take the mushrooms out of the stock and chop them into small pieces. Set aside
- Blend 1 cup of soaked soybeans with 1 cup of water until it turns creamy.
- Chop about 4 oz pork and set aside
- Chop 1 cup of kimchi
- Place a heavy bottomed pot (7-8 cups) on the stove and heat it up.
*tip: It’s usually cooked in either a stone bowl or an earthenware bowl
- When the stone pot has heated up, drizzle ½ – 1 tbs sesame oil and add 2 cloves of minced garlic. Stir for 10 seconds.
- Add chopped pork, mushrooms, kimchi, and keep stirring for a few more minutes.
- Add 2 cups of stock and close the lid.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
*tip: the stew will boil over easily, so watch out! If it boils over, lower the heat!
- Pour the creamy soybeans into the the pot and lower the heat.
*tip: do not stir the stew until the soy bean liquid is cooked (about 1 minute)
- Let it cook with the lid open for about 2 minutes.
- When it boils over, stir and turn the stew over with a spoon carefully (You will see some bubbles popping up).
- Add 1 tbs fish sauce (or salt) and stir it with a spoon.
*tip: You could use saewoojeot (fermented salty shrimp)
- Add some chopped red chili pepper, green chili pepper, and green onion to the top of the boiling stew before serving
Serve with rice, kimchi, and more side dishes.
Enjoy the recipe!
Posted Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 12:59 pm.
Tagged: Cuisine, delicious food, Food and drink, ground soy beans stew, 콩비지 찌개, kongbiji chigae, kongbiji jjigae, Korean recipes, pureed soy beans stew, sesame oil, Soy products
Jun 23rd
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Hello Maangchi, this is one of my husband’s favorite soups to eat on cold days. Thank you for all of the authentic Korean food recipes. Many of them have become a staple in our home and have been enjoyed by friends and family including family from Korea. :):):)
I haven’t made kongbiji jjigae for a long time but after reading your comment, I really feel like it. I’m glad your family and friends have been enjoying Korean dishes that you made. Good luck!
Hi, Maangchi!
It’s been 6 months since i last made this dish. I forgot how much kong biji to put in. Is it basically 1/2 cup soybean or how much?
I haven’t got around to make more soy milk since my daughter left for college in March. So I was thinking of making my own tofu. I usually use 1 cup of dry soybeans soaked to double and use the milk to make tofu.
Please advice how much biji to put in and how much stock to put in. I always have that stock handy.
Thanks,
Ima
Rain finally come to my part of Indonesia. I made this with frozen pulp from soy milk that i make every other day. I can’t use up the pulp quickly enough. However with this recipe all i need to do is pull out frozen biji+frozen stock for soon dubu jigae, homemade kimchi w/ your recipe and 1 cooking portion of pork. Breakfast is served in the time it takes to cook rice in my rice cooker.
This is an awesome dish to eat in a nippy weather. You’re absolutely right. Thanks for the great recipes
Hi maangchi,
I love your recipes!! I wanted to know since I can’t find any soy beans–can I use Soy Milk instead?
i just made this with regular white onion and my porridge came out watery. I took out some extra liquid after finished and water kept on forming on top. Is it supposed to have water form on top?
Thanks!
Hi Maangchi!
I’d love kongbisi jjige.
I used to use salted shrimp and salt.
I’m curious some fish sauce has msg
Can I use Japanese dashi, made from bonito and konbu?
Hi Maangchi!
I notice that in the kongguksu recipe you cook the soybeans briefly and then remove the skins before grinding them up, but in this kongbiji jjigae recipe you don’t pre-cook or remove the soybean skins. Could you explain why you treat the soybeans differently for these two recipes? I haven’t done much cooking with soybeans before, and I would love to get a more nuanced understanding of the “hows” and “whys” behind these differences. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes!
Erica
Emily! Thank you for this recipe! This is my favorite winter stew. Grandmom and Mom both grew up in North Korea and this is a very traditional northern dish.
We add some sort of green – think it’s beet. And we eat it with salted shrimp. Mom has to stop me from eating so much of it due to the protein content, but MAN DO I LOVE biji.
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe. I haven’t made kongbijijjigae for months. Reading your post makes me feel like eating. yummy!
I made this today and it has so far been the best Korean stew I have ever tasted! I used homemade kimchi made with Maangchi’s recipe. I omitted the pork because I am an on-again-off-again pescetarian. :) Even my fiancé very much enjoyed it, and he has a somewhat bland palate (we are working on this).
Thank you, Maangchi, for posting this fantastic recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe a lot. It’s very healthy and delicious stew. Thank you very much for your update! Cheers!
I learned about your site earlier this year when you made the news here in Seoul. This was my first recipe to try from your site, and I was susprised how well it turned out. I used the pre-packaged 콩비지 from the mart here, instead of grinding my own beans. And I love the stone pot – I bought it yesterday at E-Mart just for this dish. When I eat this at a restaurant, it’s always a bit too slaty for my health, but I was able to make it better for my taste by adding just a little fish sauce. I will try more of your recipes soon.
Hi! Two questions! How come yours turned out white, because I had this at a restuarant and it was like a orangey color and it was so good! Instead of using dried anchovies can I use dried anchovie dashida?
“.. orangy color” the cook at the restaurant must have used hot pepper flakes. I prefer my version though.
Hello! I just joined your site. It looks great! I am excited to try this recipe. By the way, how many mushrooms do I use to make stock and how many pieces of kelp? Thank you.
3 dried shiitake mushrooms and 4×5 inch piece of dried kelp.
Thank you! I’m going to make it this morning. I hope I can stop myself from grabbing a handful of kelp for the broth! I have a tendency to automatically grab a handful of everything to put into broths!
Hi! Is this the same as ground soybean porridge? if not, does any one know how to make soybean porridge (it is cooked with potato and millet as well but no rice). thanks!
btw, maangchi, i love your website and subscribe to your podcasts. please keep them coming. i have made several of your dishes with amazing results. total YUM! this past weekend i made suejebi. i didn’t have kim chi but i just used gochujang. YUMMMMM! in fact, i have to make another batch of kim chi. i prefer my own rather than store bought (which is too salty and not fermented enough for my taste).
Hello I am a big fan of your website :)
Just made your kongbiji jjigae for dinner, it was so delicious and flavorful without using a lot of seasonings. I accidentally bought radish kimchi instead of cabbage kimchi and it tasted really really yummy. Great dish with rice, bindaetteok, and pickled cucumbers. Thanks for your amazing recipes!
OMG! You made this? Congratulations! Yeah, kongbiji jjigae is very delicious! It is usually eaten in the cold winter day, but why not in the summer?
Can i use chicken instead of beef or pork? Thanks! This recipe looks great for wintertime.
Yes, you can use chicken,too.
Hi Maangchi!
If I use pulp for this recipe, how much would I need?
^_________^
Maanchi Ahjumah you are my saving grace!
I married a Korean man in Korea and we moved back to the US. Your website has saved my husband from starvation.
This kongbiji stew has sent me and my husband over the moon! Its so fabulously healthy and savory.
I look forward to trying each and everyone of your dishes eventually:)
I saw your naengmyun receipe and wondered if you had a beef stock recommendation rather than the fish stock?
I tried to make it, but I made a few mistakes! :( I added too much stock and kimchi so it was too liquid and orange instead of beige. It tastes awesome though!
Can I use the pulp from making tofu for this stew? I need to find other uses for it since I make tofu often. haha.
I can’t wait to try this out. Looks so yummy!
hi, of course you can use soy bean pulp which is more traditional way of making this stew. When you use the pulp, you will have to use more stock than indicated in the recipe. Otherwise the stew will be too thick.
You make your own tofu? Some of my readers will be interested in learning how to make tofu. I would appreciate it if you leave the recipe here: https://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/reader-recipes
I just made my first pot of kongbiji jjigae. It’s snowing here in NY.
Delicious!!
I love it.
As usual being able to see you prepare the recipe in the video helps me make it exactly the same. I even had soybean volcanos!
I wish I could enjoy the snow with you! I am watching the snow through my window now.
How do I know if my soybeans are spoiled or dead?
You can see them easily because damaged,spoiled, and dead beans look brownish and sometimes broken. Normal beans are perfect circle shape and yellow color.
This looks great, i will give it a try soon.
If there is no dried kelp available, is there a good substitute?
Yes, you still can make good stock without dried kelp. Cheers! Let me know how your kongbijijjigae turns out. : )
Hi Maangchi,
I just made this for the first time tonight and it was fantastic! For those people who like Kimchi Jiggae and Sundubu, you will love this recipe. I love those two stews so I decided to give it a try. Big success! I will definitely add this to my regular repertoire of Korean recipes. Thank you! :)
wow, good news! I’m glad to hear that you are going to add this stew to your regular repertoire of Korean recipes. : )
Hi Maangchi! :) Do you have to use pork? I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t eat pork, so I was just curious if there’s another type of meat you can use. Alrighty, thank you!
oh, use beef then. thank you!
Hi Maangchi,
This was my all time favorite stew while I was growing up. Whenever my family went grocery shopping and passed the prepared food section, I’d always beg my mom to buy a container of biji jjigae. Normally, she would say yes….just looking at your video takes me back!
For the kimchi, do you recommend a less fermented or very sour kimchi?
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your story related this stew with me and my other readers! : ) I like to use less fermented kimchi, but it depends on your taste.
Ooh, another idea for soup: anchovy, dashima, and shiitake mushroom. You know, I like to consume stocks made from your recipes just on their own, nothing else added. They really are delicious. That being said, kongbiji tastes good and is quite filling. I’m sure your recipe is another hit.
You are right. You can use the stock for so many different types of soup or stew. Make noodle soup, too. It’s very delicious! Thanks a lot!
What a lovely soup. I’d love to taste it…
yeah, and it’s also very healthy food. Let me know if you make this stew later. thanks!
Hi 언니!
I remember eating this as a child and loving it! Thanks so much for the recipe. My fiance (who loves Korean food) thanks you too. BTW, when will you be in the L.A. area again? I would love to share a meal with you and your fans.
Hope you are having a wonderful new year. 새해 복 많이 받으세요!
yes, I will visit California hopefully someday soon. Thank you very much for your offer. I am already excited about tasting your food!
: ) When I plan another meetup in LA, I will let you know through my blog in advance. Stay tuned! ; )
Hey Maangchi,
This looks like something I would tried too, seems very healthy. I was wondering, what kind of rice were you eating with the stew at the end of the video? Looks pretty good too. Would you please tell me where to get that kind of rice? Looks different from what I usually eat. Thank you
yes, it’s multi-grain rice that I usually eat.
This is the recipe:
How to make rice using a pot:
1. Combine 1 cup of short grain rice, 1/2 cup of sweet brown rice, 1/2 cup of barley rice, and 2 tbs of black sweet rice
2. Wash and drain a couple of times and put it in a pot with a thick bottom
3. Pour 2.5 cups of water into the pot and soak it at least for 30 minutes.
4. Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat for 10 minutes.
5. Open the lid and turn the rice over with a rice scoop or spoon.
6. Simmer it over low heat for another 10 minutes!
The purple color comes from black sweet rice.