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Home Gluten Free

Cabbage Soybean Paste Soup (배추된장국 Baechu Doenjang Guk)

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Posted:7/01/201120 Comments
Recipe Print
Korean Cabbage soup or Baechu Deonjang Guk
Korean Cabbage soup or Baechu Deonjang Guk/Baechu Dwenjang Gook

Baechu Doenjang Guk made with Korean fermented soybean paste (pronounced ‘dwenjang’) is the ultimate comfort food for Koreans. A bowl of this cabbage soup, some rice and kimchi will make any Korean’s mouth water and take them back home when they taste it. I know the phrase “comfort foods” has come to be known as foods that bring you back to your childhood days, but”comfort foods” are also known to be mostly unhealthy – high in fat, sugar or carbs.  However, this soup is quite healthy. The health benefits of soybean paste are well known to provide various vitamins, minerals, flavonoids and even anticarcinogenic effects even after it is boiled in the soup. Baechu (napa cabbage) is high in vitamin K, vitamin C and dietary fiber (which is very good for your GI and constipation) . It is also known to contain phytochemicals (called indoles) “which are being studied for their ability to convert estradiol, an estrogen like hormone that may play a role in the development of breast cancer, into a safer form of estrogen” according to an article in How Stuff works.

In addition to these studies and analyses, what I know firsthand about baechu-especially put-baechu 풋배추 or Korean small cabbage “green seoul” is that it has great healing properties when it comes to GI issues. My mother-in-law told me (um..I don’t know.. maybe about 10 times? 😉 ) that whenever my husband had really bad stomach problems with terrible diarrhea (he basically had IBS when he was a college student), she made juice out of raw put-baechus and made him drink it in the morning. Pretty nasty stuff according to my hubby but it cured him every time!

Prep time: 10 min         Cooking time: 20 – 25 min       Servings: 6        Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 heads of Korean small cabbage or 1 medium size napa cabbage
  • 10 oz beef stew meat (chuck roast)
  • 1 T vegetable oil for frying meat if beef is very lean
  • 11 C water or anchovy stock or rice water
  • 5-6 T Korean soybean paste (Doenjang)
  • 1 T Miso
  • 3 T chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 green onions

Directions

1. My favorite cabbage to use is the Korean small cabbage or green seoul, but I know these cabbages are not easy to come by. Napa cabbage works really well too. I know many traditional recipes will tell you to boil the cabbages first in water and then use the cooked cabbage in the soup. I cooked this way for years and one day discovered that the soup tastes fine (probably the cabbage is less chewy when pre-cooked) even if you don’t pre-cook the cabbage. Cooking the cabbage once instead of twice saves a lot of time and energy without losing much in flavor, so I’m all for it!

Korean small cabbage - green seoul
Korean small cabbage – green seoul

First, cut the heads off of the cabbages so it is easier to wash the leaves separately.

cut head of cabbage
cut head of cabbage

2. Cut away any damaged or diseased edges of the bigger leaves like so..

cut away damaged parts
cut away damaged parts

Cut the leaves into approx 3 in long pieces and set aside. How big you cut your cabbage is somewhat of a personal preference. Some Koreans like to cut them pretty short or thin. The size of the pieces really does not affect the taste but more varies the appearance and the texture. I like my pieces a bit long to give the soup a more heartier feel and texture.

cut cabbage 3 inch long pieces
cut cabbage into 3 in long pieces

3.  Cut the stew meat into smaller, thinner strips that can be easily eaten in one bite. When cutting the meat, try to cut against the grain. Because the pieces are so small and because they will be cooked thoroughly in the soup, it is not as important but cutting against the grain will ensure the meat will melt in the mouth along with the cabbage.

cut beef into small bitesize pieces
cut beef into small bite size pieces

4. If the beef is very lean, add some oil to a large soup pot.  Stir fry the beef and chopped garlic on medium high heat until the meat is slightly cooked.

cook meat in pot
cook meat in pot – cook a little more than what you see here

5. Once the beef is slightly browned, add water or anchovy stock or rice water. Anchovy stock will additional depth of flavor to the dish. Rice water makes the soup a bit thicker. Rice water is the milky water you get from rinsing the rice before you cook.

6. Add 5 – 6 T of Korean soybean paste and 1 T of miso paste to the soup. Adding miso is really not traditional but I really like the touch of sweetness and smoothness it adds to the soup. So miso is optional but try it. When adding the soybean paste, kind of smoosh the paste on the side of the pot with a spoon and let it get dispersed into the soup. Start by adding just 5 T and miso, let it boil first and taste before adding more. You can always add more soybean paste later if you feel that it is not enough – even after adding the cabbage.

The soybean paste I use is made by Haechandle.

Haechandeul dwenjang (soybeen paste)
Haechandeul dwenjang (soybeen paste)
mixing soybean paste into soup
mixing soybean paste into soup

6. Bring the soybean paste soup to boil. Add the cut cabbage and bring to boil again. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

baechu added to soup
baechu added to soup

When you add the baechu to the soup, it may first seem like there’s too much baechu but the volume decreases a lot once they are cooked so don’t worry. When I first made this  soup, I used to always have too much soup andnot have enough baechu and that’s not good..

7. After it has simmered for 20 minutes, add some cut up green onions, garlic powder and cook for another few minutes. The soup is now ready to eat. Serve with some rice and kimchi. Other banchans such as myulchi bokkeum and maleun saewoo bokkeum will go really well with this soup.

Korean cabbage soup with fermented soybean paste. Baechu Deonjang Guk or Baechu Dwenjang Gook
Korean cabbage soup with fermented soybean paste. Baechu Deonjang Guk or Baechu Dwenjang Gook
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5 from 4 votes
Baechu Deonjang Guk (Korean small cabbage soybean paste soup)

Cabbage Soybean Paste Soup (Baechu Doenjang Guk)

Made with Korean fermented soybean paste, this soup is comfort food for Koreans. Best served with rice and some kimchi.
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
serves: 8

Ingredients

  • 2 heads Korean small cabbage (or 1 medium size napa cabbage)
  • 10 oz beef stew meat (chuck roast)
  • 1 Tbs vegetable oil (for frying meat if beef is very lean)
  • 11 cups water or anchovy stock or rice water
  • 5 Tbs Korean soybean paste (Doenjang), add more to taste
  • 1 Tbs miso
  • 3 Tbs chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 green onions
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • First, cut the heads off of the cabbages so it is easier to wash the leaves separately.
  • Cut away any damaged or diseased edges of the bigger leaves.
  • Cut the leaves into approx. 3 in long pieces and set aside. How big you cut your cabbage is somewhat of a personal preference. Some Koreans like to cut them pretty short or thin. The size of the pieces really does not affect the taste but more varies the appearance and the texture. I like my pieces a bit long to give the soup a more heartier feel and texture.
  • Cut the stew meat into smaller, thinner strips that can be easily eaten in one bite. When cutting the meat, try to cut against the grain. Because the pieces are so small and because they will be cooked thoroughly in the soup, it is not as important but cutting against the grain will ensure the meat will melt in the mouth along with the cabbage.
  • If the beef is very lean, add some oil to a large soup pot. Stir fry the beef and chopped garlic on medium high heat until the meat is slightly cooked.
  • Once the beef is slightly browned, add water or anchovy stock or rice water. 
  • Add Korean soybean paste and miso paste to the soup. Adding miso is really not traditional but I really like the touch of sweetness and smoothness it adds to the soup. It takes a while for the soybean paste to fully disperse throughout the soup so let it boil first and taste before adding more. 
  • Bring the soybean paste soup to a boil. Add cabbage and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • After it has simmered for 20 minutes, add green onions, garlic powder and cook for another few minutes.  Serve with some rice and kimchi. Other banchans such as myulchi bokkeum and maleun saewoo bokkeum will go really well with this soup.

Tips & Notes:

Serve with some rice and kimchi. Other banchans such as myulchi bokkeum and maleun saewoo bokkeum will go really well with this soup.
  • My favorite cabbage to use is the Korean small cabbage or green seoul, but I know these cabbages are not easy to come by. Napa cabbage works really well too.
 
  • I know many traditional recipes will tell you to boil the cabbages first in water and then use the cooked cabbage in the soup. I cooked this way for years and one day discovered that the soup tastes fine (probably the cabbage is less chewy when pre-cooked) even if you don’t pre-cook the cabbage. Cooking the cabbage once instead of twice saves a lot of time and energy without losing much in flavor, so I’m all for it!

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 144kcal (7%)| Carbohydrates: 13g (4%)| Protein: 11g (22%)| Fat: 6g (9%)| Saturated Fat: 3g (19%)| Cholesterol: 24mg (8%)| Sodium: 369mg (16%)| Potassium: 686mg (20%)| Fiber: 3g (13%)| Sugar: 5g (6%)| Vitamin A: 760IU (15%)| Vitamin C: 62.8mg (76%)| Calcium: 188mg (19%)| Iron: 1.8mg (10%)
Author: JinJoo Lee
Course:Soup
Cuisine:Korean
Keyword:comforting, gluten free, one dish meal, simple
KoreanCategory:Guk (국)
Did You Make This?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @Kimchimari or #kimchimari and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below!
Baechu Heart
Baechu Heart

One of the extras of using a whole cabbage is the hearts of the Korean cabbage. You can save it and eat separately as ssam with some ssamjang. The heart of a cabbage has a much sweeter taste and has almost no bitterness. It tastes great with rice and some ssamjang.

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20 Comments
  1. Evan D. says

    Posted on 27 November 2023 at 5:19 pm

    5 stars
    I made this today and loved it. Great for sick days and I used pork belly instead of beef as I had it at home.

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 28 November 2023 at 6:09 pm

      I totally agree – there’s nothing like a bowl of Doenjang Guk and rice to take care of you when you are not feeling well. Thank you for your feedback.

      Reply
  2. Corona Simmons says

    Posted on 10 November 2022 at 6:21 am

    5 stars
    I’m so in love with this recipe because it’s so comforting. Thank You for the recipe! Oh quick question is there a substitute for Doenjang in the recipe? My mom wants to make this at home since she had it at my house, but there are no Asian markets around her.

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 14 November 2022 at 9:07 pm

      Hello Corona, so happy to hear that you find the soup comforting. I’m afraid the only possible substitute for Doenjang would be Miso paste (which is really not the same but at least it’s somewhat similar) – is she able to buy that? You can also order it online for her maybe. Good luck!

      Reply
      • Corona Simmons says

        Posted on 17 November 2022 at 9:40 am

        Yes she was able to find it online. Thank you so much for your help❤️

      • JinJoo says

        Posted on 19 November 2022 at 10:22 pm

        Glad to hear it!

  3. Helen says

    Posted on 10 October 2021 at 9:22 pm

    5 stars
    Yummy! My husband loved it🥰

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 11 October 2021 at 10:17 am

      Wonderful! Love hearing that! Thank you!!!

      Reply
  4. Sar Brotter says

    Posted on 29 August 2021 at 2:17 am

    5 stars
    Everyone loved it and it was super easy to make

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 30 August 2021 at 11:43 am

      Yay!! I’m very happy to hear that – so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thank you!!

      Reply
  5. Harold Burton says

    Posted on 4 May 2021 at 2:10 am

    Ohh, cool week! Thanks for sharing that! I think prior to the last “storm” I went through, I have always felt hopeless during those harder times. But I’ve had some break through’s and now I understand how this all works. Hard times come but they don’t last forever. I can appreciate the harder times now because I know there’s A LOT to learn during them too
    Harold Burton

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 5 May 2021 at 5:11 pm

      I’m glad you are over the”storm”.. yes, nothing lasts forever. Both good and bad. Good luck!

      Reply
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