This is one of the various types of Korean soybean paste soup using spinach. Soybean paste is a very important ingredient in Korean cuisine. Except for the saltiness, there is some research that shows health benefits from soybean paste. You can adjust the amount of soybean paste for your dish depending on your taste or for your health. This is very easy to make, and of course it is delicious. It is a good soup to go with your daily Korean meal. 
Yield: 4 Servings
Short Korean Lesson: *^^*
- SiGeumChi (시금치) = Spinach
- DoenJang (된장) = Soybean Paste
Main Ingredients
- 5 Cups Spinach (7 oz)
- 1 Small Onion
- 5 Cups Water
- 1 Dried Anchovy Pack (7-8 Dried Anchovies)
- 3 Tbsp Soybean Paste
- 1 tsp Soup Soy Sauce
- 1½ Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Hot Pepper (Optional)
Directions
In 5 cups of water, add 1 dried anchovy pack (or 7-8 dried anchovies). If you are a vegetarian, use a couple dried shiitake mushrooms instead of anchovies. Once it starts to boil, cook it for 3 minutes on high.
Meanwhile, prepare 5 cups of spinach. Remove the bad parts, wash, and then chop it.
Slice 1 small onion into ½-inch pieces.
3 minutes later, add 3 Tbsp of soybean paste. Use a strainer to mix the paste with the broth better.
There will be some chunks of beans. I like to put them in the soup, but if you want, you can throw them away.
Add 1½ Tbsp of minced garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
5 minutes later, add the spinach and onion to the soup. Cook for 5 more minutes on high.
Depending on your soybean paste brand, the saltiness can be different. So in this step, adjust the salty flavor with ½ to 1 tsp of soup soy sauce.
5 minutes later, add some hot peppers. Cook for 2 more minutes, and then turn of the heat.
After it is done cooking, remove the dried anchovy pack. If you use dried anchovies or shiitake mushrooms, you can eat them with your soup.
Serve it hot with fresh rice and other vegetables or side dishes. Try it someday. Thanks~~~
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Thank you for considering that there are vegetarians who would love to eat your soup :3 I think that is very nice of you!
Hi Aeri,
I’m so happy I found your site and channel!! <3
My mom's an awesome cook but whenever I watch her to try and learn, I can't keep up since she just throws all the ingredients together and (I think this is typical of most korean moms) doesn't measure but kinda goes on whim… I love to bake so I need measurements lol! When I saw that your recipes had measurements and step-by-step directions, I think I screamed in happiness XD
Thank you so much!! You have made college student (and her roommate haha) very happy~
hi Jooyeon,
Nice to meet you. haha… I’m same.. just cook something without measuring… to make exact recipe.. I try to measure every single ingredients though.. hehe Study hard and enjoy your college life. Hope to see you often.
I am going to make this soup for a couple of my friends tonight
Thank you Aeri unnie!
오늘 저녁은 이걸로 땡.
Would I get the same result as in taste if I use anchovy dashida rather than dried anchovy? And how many teaspoons would I need to use for this recipe or for any recipes that requires dried anchovy?
hi hellokitty08,
It will taste good too. Just if you use dashida you might need to reduce the amount of saltness from soy sauce and soy bean paste a little..since dashida has salty flavor in it. Start from 1/2 tsp..and depending on your taste adjust it.
Hi Aeri~ Anyong~
I’ve got some spinach and miso paste..which i believe is also doenjjang? Just a quick question, does the size and type of anchovy matters? Cz i’ve seen some cooking tutorials.. and i saw the anchovies u guys have are huge! Well, much larger than the ones I have here.. Will the taste differ? And the small onion…does is work with Red onions?
Miane…So many questions at one time.. hehehe~ Thanks! <3
hi Yvonne,
sorry for late reply.. ^^:;
huge anchovies are usually for making broth for soup.. but you can use other kinds of anchovies for your broth too.. bigger one will give more strong flavor for the soup.. red onion has milder flavor than other onions.but if you like it.. yes you can use it.. ^^ thanks
My son loves when my mother makes this for him. Can I use anchovy dashida?
Hi JenI,
Yes, you can ^^
Hi there. i really want to try this recipe as it is winter here and freezing cold. I bought some bean paste a few months ago for another recipe and have never really known what else to use it for? so this recipe is great BUT will the bean paste still be OK ? it is in the fridge.How long will it keep ?
hi Anne,
soy bean paste is fermented food..so unless it gets mold u can use quite long time. the container will have expire date on it also. ^^
tried it today and loved it ^ ^ v. thanks for such a simple but delicious recipe again. u rock aeri!!!
hi layping,
great.. You will be an expert for Korean food soon.. maybe you already are..
“That’s mine, Aeri.”
love it!!
hi amy ozie,
Yep.. that’s yours
I love spinach soup! I use the spinach that’s pre-washed for salads. It’s alot thinner than the ones from the Korean store but I’m too lazy to wash it. =)
hi MrsDarth,
haha… I feel lazy many times too. If it’s delicious that’s all you need.right ?? Say hi to your angel. ^^
Just made this soup and we love it! Very simple yet tastes great. I used frozen spinach because that’s all I had but it was not a problem at all. Thanks for the recipe!
hi Caroline,
Oh.. then it will be even easier.. because you don’t have to clean and remove bad parts from the spinach.. good idea.. thanks for trying my recipe.
this looks so yummy! Will definitely try it. Do you have instruction for seaweed soup? I make it by just guessing ingredients but I know it’s not authentic.
Hi Bo!
Aeri has the recipe in the “Soups and Stews” section of her blog. You must be a good cook. I can’t guess any ingredients when I taste things…especially if it’s ethnic foods.
hi MrsDarth,
hehe.. thanks for reply for Bo ^^
hi Bo,
Yes.. I have seaweed soup recipe. For just in case, I will add the link for you.
http://aeriskitchen.com/2009/03/beef-seaweed-soup-소고기-미역국sogogi-miyeok-guk/