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Beans and Greens Stew With Doenjang
![Beans and Greens Stew With Doenjang](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/images/2021/10/18/dining/EK-greens-and-beans-stew-with-doenjang/merlin_196451808_f4e0cd09-98c9-43ab-8be7-66c1be5c517b-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- 1large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 4large scallions, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- Salt and black pepper
- 3tablespoons doenjang (fermented soybean paste; see Tip), plus more to taste
- 1teaspoon honey
- Pinch of red-pepper flakes
- 1(15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1teaspoon soy sauce
- ½bunch Swiss or rainbow chard, coarsely chopped with stems (4 packed cups)
- 1large garlic clove, finely grated
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium and add 2 tablespoons oil, the onion and scallions. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the remaining tablespoon oil and the doenjang, and stir until heated through and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Move the onion mixture to one side of the pot, add the honey and red-pepper flakes to the empty side, and let the honey bubble and caramelize, about 1 minute.
- Step 3
Add the beans and stir to coat. Add the soy sauce and 2 cups water, raise the heat to high, and bring to a gentle boil, using the wooden spoon to crush some of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the broth.
- Step 4
Stir in the chard, cover the pot and reduce heat to medium-low, simmering until the greens have cooked down and darkened in color, about 10 minutes.
- Step 5
Off the heat, stir in the grated garlic. Taste and add more salt, pepper and doenjang as desired. Serve in large bowls over or alongside rice.
- You can find doenjang, often labeled “soybean paste,” in any Korean or Asian supermarket and online. Funkily pungent and packed with savoriness, doenjang is a magical flavor booster that’s often compared to Japanese miso, but can taste stronger and saltier. Full of fermented sourness, it is deserving of its own spot in the sun (and in your pantry).
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Used miso instead and it was delicious :)
Yes, you can use miso. It will obviously taste different but, in my experience, you can use doenjang and miso more or less interchangeably, provided you're not going for "authenticity." Use your discretion, but you can drop either miso or doenjang into just about any savoury soup or stew.
Miso is, as described by Eric, milder and less salty than doenjang. So you may have to adjust with salt to taste, or dribble in some soy sauce. Just...go slow with it.
Will need to make this soon. As Maangchi said, every Korean loves doenjang. Going to be in the low 50s and rainy this weekend! I'm thinking a little kimchi added to the soup or on the side would provide a slightly spicier profile. I will use dried beans. But in cooking them, I add garlic cloves, an onion, seaweed and a two inch thick slice of fresh daikon radish, and then use that broth for the soup.
If you substitute miso I'd choose the darkest miso you can get.
I know the recipe calls for doenjang, but can I substitute white/yellow miso for it in this recipe? How different would it make the stew? I accidentally bought a 2 pound bag of it instead of the small jar I thought I was buying. Oops. I'm a newbie to soybean pastes and Korean and Japanese cooking. I still have quite a bit of rainbow chard and dragon kale in my garden that I should use up before the gardening season is truly over. This recipe looks tasty.
I soaked a cup of dry beans overnight. Took the soaked beans, a chopped bunch of rainbow chard, a chopped bunch of mustard greens, the rest of the ingredients and a bit of veggie stock and threw into the instapot. Pressure cooked it for 10 minutes and did a manual release. It was delicious and so easy.
Had all the ingredients handy so this was simple to put together. My only substantive change was to toss some shrimp during the last couple of minutes of cooking for additional protein. That worked great. Next time, I probably will add tofu and keep the dish vegetarian. Paired this with a Aligote, which worked out well.
if substituting miso, maybe add some fish sauce?
Outstanding and delicious way to get more greens and plant protein in your diet. Made this twice already this week. Forgot the grated garlic the first time - do not make this mistake! It adds a whole extra dimension to the already wonderfully layered flavours. Used Swiss chard and navy beans the first time and spinach and kidney beans the second. Both worked great.
You can absolutely substitute. Both are fermented soybeans. There are differences in flavor between the two, but essentially a great substitute.
Agree that dry beans are tastier in dishes like this. But if you do use canned beans, after rinsing them when they come out of the can, start cooking them separately first in broth, while you prep the rest of the ingredients. They taste much better with abut more cooking, and the texture is better too.
toban djan is not the same as doenjang. Doenjang is not spicy at all and is more similar to red miso. Toban djan is probably more similar to Gochujiang.
Try it and let us know.
Great! Purchased doenjang to use with this and the sauce for Bulgogi (Korean Grilled Beef) on this site. We loved the new (to us) flavors. Added red pepper with onions because I had one that needed using. Increased the garlic and added it with the doenjang. Substituted gochugaru for red pepper flakes because I had it. Increased the amount of soy sauce, beans, and chard. Used vegetable broth instead of water. Will be making it regularly.
This was simply delicious. It reminded me a bit of Japanese curry (from the box) but without meat. I made it exactly as stated but used high-quality white miso, and kale instead of Swiss chard. This is a keeper and will go into regular rotation.
so easy and quick and lovely—with rice, this is a full meal in an hour.
Very tasty! The doenjang was very strong (3T is a lot!) and it needed a little 🌶️ so next time I would use 2 tablespoons doenjang and 1 of gochujang.
This stew was wonderful! I used 3 heaping tablespoons of doenjang, added a zucchini and substituted red pepper powder for the chili flakes. The flavor was fabulous.
I used miso and added a tablespoon of gochujang; used homemade chicken stock instead of water. It’s fantastic!
Put an egg on it!
Tasty. Made as is with cranberry beans.
A 5 oz. container of Organic Girl "Super Spinach Powerhouse Blend" works well in this if you want a fast option, as it's washed and ready to go; it's got baby spinach, baby bok choy, baby kale, tatsoi, and green chard. Like others, I used red miso, and I also subbed blue agave syrup for the honey so it was vegan. Also had some gojuchang on top. Nice, easy winter dinner.
Threw in a coarsely chopped tomato the second time we made this and thought it was a delicious addition.
Can you make this the day before?
Followed this recipe exactly. Outstanding. A great new addition to our collection as we segue out of being carnivores. We served it with jasmati rice, which pairs very well with this recipe.
Loved the earthiness and change from Italian greens and beans. Made as written. Used some stemmed Tuscan kale since I was short on chard. Next time I’ll add crimini mushrooms to the mix. Didn’t eat over rice. Nice side as is.
Has anyone frozen this successfully?
I have frozen a similar white bean and green dish. I’m sure it will do fine - beans might break down more- depending on how soft they are.
The first time I made the recipe as directed and it was outstanding. The second time I made this, I doubled the beans and used kale as that is what I had on hand. Again, outstanding. This dish is so simple and comes together so easily, it really shouldn't be this good. But it is. (If you are on the fence about doenjang, you will definitely find ways to use it. Doenjang + sesame oil on thick onion slices, roasted - fantastic.)
Used stinging nettles as the greens the second time I made this lovely, nourishing simple soup. So delicious. Thank you for this brilliant Korean-American riff!
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