Fermented soybean paste stew is one of the Korean recipes you should memorise, since it accompanies a myriad of other dishes. The basics are very simple: boil a couple of cups of water with: onion, garlic, green Korean chili peper (cheong-gochu 청고추), dried anchovies, fresh large shrimp (optional), clams (optional), mushrooms (optional), potato (optional) and zucchini (optional). Boil for 10-15 minutes.

Add 1-4 tablespoons fermented soybean paste (doenjang) depending on how big your bowl, taste before you add an extra spoon. Mix and boil for 15 minutes, add medium-firm tofu and cook for some more minutes. Add spring onion and serve in a stoneware bowl. Below is a doenjang-jjigae 된장찌개 in a mushroom restaurant near Gurye 구례. The photos are made with an iPhone 7 and are of lower quality than usual.