ZestSync

Although Korean cuisine is usually associated with meaty barbecue, that is just an occasional treat in South Korea, not something that is consumed every day. Korean food is actually very healthy because it incor­por­ates a multitude of vegetables, many of which are fermented (and there­fore great for digestion) and served as kimchi or as the banchan side dishes essential to Korean meals.

This hearty soup-stew uses Korean fermented soybean paste, doenjang, which is pungent and strongly flavoured. In restaurants, doenjang jjigae usually incorporates a small amount of meat and/or seafood, but it’s easy to make a vegan version. If you’re vegetarian, add an egg. This version takes about 10 minutes to cook, plus a couple of hours to soak the dried mushrooms. If it's easier for you, soak the mushrooms overnight in the fridge, so they're ready the next day whenever you want to cook the dish.

I use several types of mushrooms for extra umami; you can add or substitute other varieties to the shimeji and enoki called for in the recipe. Yuksu bags are the Korean equivalent of Japanese dashi bags, which make a flavourful instant broth when infused in hot water. Use either the Korean or Japanese bags, but check the ingredients’ label to make sure there’s no seafood or meat listed. Vegan yuksu/dashi bags are usually made with dried kelp and mushrooms. Doenjang, yuksu/dashi bags and gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) can be bought from stores specialising in Korean ingredients.

Korean zucchini has pale green, smooth skin, and a mild taste. If you can’t find it, use Italian yellow squash instead.

This recipe serves one, but to serve more simply increase the quantities of the ingredients, or serve the jjigae as part of a vegetarian meal with other dishes, such as kimchi pancakes or mung bean pancakes (leave out the meat for that recipe), rice and banchan.

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