Doenjang Jjigae

A bubbling stew built on dwenjang (fermented soybean paste: older, funkier, and more savoury than Japanese miso), simmered with anchovy-and-kelp stock, tofu, courgette, mushroom, onion, potato, sometimes clams or pork belly, and a touch of gochugaru for warmth. Served bubbling hot in a stone pot, eaten with rice and banchan. The signature is dwenjang itself; the fermented soybean depth that gives Korean cooking its umami foundation, more rustic and challenging than miso, with a barnyard-funk quality at full intensity. Earthy, deeply savoury, gently warming, vegetable-forward.