Soybean paste, or dwoenjang, is made of fermented soybeans and salted water. Soybean paste, along with soybean sauce, has been one of traditional Korean foods since the ancient times. It is used as a staple ingredient for salting and seasoning food.Soybean paste is made of beans, which are rich in protein (38 percent) and unsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic and linolenic acids. The paste is very nutritious as it contains 128cal and 12g of protein per 100g. It is also used as a medicine to soothe headache, chillness and fever, and stimulate sweating. The main ingredients of soybean paste stew include vegetables, tofu, clams and meat, among many others.
Sometimes, chili pepper paste and pepper powder are added to soybean paste stew as well. The stew ingredients may vary every season: in summer, you may add green peppers; in fall-mushrooms; and in winter-dried radish leaves. For the Korean people, whose main dish is grain, such as rice and barley, the intake of high-protein food, like beans, is essential to make up for other nutrients.
How to cook:
Four servings
Main ingredients: 1/2 of squash, 1 onion, 1 potato, 1 red pepper, 2 green peppers, 1/2 of tofu, 1/2 of green onion root, 4 tablespoons of soybean paste
Sub-ingredients: 4 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of red pepper powder
1. Clean and slice squash, onion, potato and tofu.
2. Slice diagonally green onions, red pepper and green peppers, and rinse in cold water to remove seeds.
3. Fill a stone pot with water, and add soybean paste and sliced potato.
4. When No. 3 mixture boils, add sliced squash, onion, red pepper, green peppers and green onions, and boil. Add tofu at the end to boil only briefly.
5. When the vegetables are cooked well, add red pepper powder and salt to your taste.
