This spicy and flavorsome Korean gochujang soup features refreshing vegetables cooked in a savory and rich broth. This one-pot stew is ready in 30 minutes, making it a great weeknight meal! It is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
We are big fans of gochujang here in this household! We use this amazing paste to make everything from gochujang tofu, gochujang noodles to our latest creation, gochujang soup.
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- It is comforting, bold in flavor and delicious - This Gochujang stew is perfect for chilly evenings! This hearty soup feels just like a hug in a bowl.
- Nourishing and healthy - It is packed full of fiber and nutrient-rich vegetables! You can even add in some plant based protein to make it more satisfying to have.
- One pot and easy to make - This Korean gochujang soup only calls for simple, wholesome ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes. Thus, it is a great quick weeknight dinner to make after a long day of work.
- Super versatile - You can easily swap any veggies that this recipe calls for with whatever you have on hand! Enjoy this soup with rice, noodles or whatever you like.
🤔What is gochujang
Gochujang, also known as Korean red pepper paste, is a thick, savory and spicy condiment that is one of the fundamental ingredients in Korean cooking. It is made from gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and seasonings like salt and sugar.
It is also sometimes describe as the spicy version of miso. I am sure you will have an idea now what it taste like!
🌶What you will need
📃Notes / substitutions
- Doenjang - You can use miso paste in place in a pinch.
- Beech mushroom - Aka shimeji mushrooms. Feel free to substitute it with other kinds of mushrooms like shiitake, enoki or even button mushrooms.
- Oil-free - Use ¼ cup of broth or water to saute your aromatics instead of oil.
🥣How to make
Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a medium soup pot or Dutch oven. Once pot is heated, place in onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent, stirring frequently.
Next, add in garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Now, pour in water into the pot and bring it to a boil. Stir in gochujang and doenjang until they have fully dissolved.
Add in potato cubes. Bring mixture to a boil once again, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until potatoes are partially cook.
After that, toss in zucchini and simmer for another 4-6 minutes, or until veggies have softened. You can test doneness of potato by poking it with a fork.
Lastly, stir in mushroom and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Give it a taste and add more gochujang or doenjang, if needed. Optionally, top it with some chopped scallions. Gochujang soup is ready to be served!
✔Helpful tips
- Make sure to cut your veggies into similar sized chunks. This ensures that your veggies are cooked at the same time!
- If you have a low tolerance for spicy food, start with half the amount of gochujang. You can add more towards the end, if needed.
- For a more flavorsome broth, use vegetable broth in place of water. But do make sure to use a low sodium one as gochujang and doenjang are pretty salty on their own.
- Be flexible with the amount of water added. If your gochujang soup is too spicy or salty for your liking, do add in a few splash of water to dilute the flavor.
🥦Variations / add-ins
- Change up vegetables used - This recipe is incredibly versatile, so feel free to replace any veggies that is called for with whatever you have on hand! Bok choy, carrot, broccoli and radish are some that will work well. Keep in mind to cook harder vegetables first before adding in the more tender ones.
- Add in silken tofu - To give this soup a bump of protein, stir in some silken or soft tofu towards the end.
- Stir in cooked noodles or Korean rice cakes - This Gochujang stew is also a great base for noodle soup! Think soba, ramen or even pasta. You might want to double the amount of water and seasoning used.
- To make it spicier, add in a pinch of gochugaru, or Korean red chili flakes. You can even add in normal chili flakes if that is what you have.
- You can further increase the depth of flavor by topping it off with some kimchi and kimchi juice.
🍽How to serve
To serve gochujang soup the traditional way, pair it with some freshly steamed rice, be it brown or white rice. Your rice will readily soak up the flavorsome broth!
Alternatively, you can serve it with virtually any cooked grain of choice like quinoa and farro. For a lower carb version, use cauliflower rice or broccoli rice instead.
Some side dishes that goes well with this gochujang stew includes kimchi, pickled radish, gochujang tofu and scallion pancakes.
❔Commonly asked questions
Although both doenjang and miso are made from fermented soybeans, their flavors do differ slightly. The flavor of miso is milder and more subtle, while doenjang has a deeper and more complex flavor. Despite that, their are still pretty similar in flavor profile and texture, so you definitely can use miso in place of doenjang in a pinch.
It is highly recommended to stick with gochujang if you can get your hands on it. However, you can use equal parts of doenjang or miso in place of gochujang at a push, along with a few teaspoons of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) or normal chili flakes to add spiciness.
Most Gochujang on the market are naturally vegan and do not contain animal products. But do check the ingredient list before purchasing as on rare occasions fermented fish might be added.
Although the perception of spiciness varies from person to person, this gochujang soup is mildly spicy in my opinion. If you are sensitive to heat, do use half the amount of red pepper paste first. You can add more of it towards the end after tasting.
On the other hand, if you like extra spicy foods, you can add in a few sprinkles of gochugaru or red chili flakes to dial up the heat!
🍽More quick vegan Asian dinners
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📖 Recipe
Korean Gochujang Soup (Gochujang Stew)
Ingredients
- ½ medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
- ½ tablespoon doenjang paste ( or miso paste)
- 1 large russet potato diced (about 7 oz)
- 1 medium zucchini diced (about 7 oz)
- 1 container beech mushroom about 3.5 oz (or other mushrooms)
Instructions
- Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a medium soup pot or Dutch oven. Once pot is heated, place in onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent, stirring frequently.½ medium yellow onion
- Next, add in garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.3 cloves garlic
- Now, pour in water into the pot and bring it to a boil. Stir in gochujang and doenjang until they have fully dissolved.2 cups water, 1 tablespoon gochujang paste, ½ tablespoon doenjang paste
- Add in potato cubes. Bring mixture to a boil once again, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until potatoes are partially cook.1 large russet potato
- After that, toss in zucchini and simmer for another 4-6 minutes, or until veggies have softened. You can test doneness of potato by poking it with a fork.1 medium zucchini
- Lastly, stir in mushroom and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Give it a taste and add more gochujang or doenjang, if needed. Optionally, top it with some chopped scallions. Gochujang soup is ready to be served!1 container beech mushroom
Notes
- If you have a low tolerance for spicy food, start with half the amount of gochujang. You can add more towards the end, if needed.
- Be flexible with the amount of water added. If your gochujang soup is too spicy or salty for your liking, do add in a few splash of water to dilute the flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Karla
This stew is awesome. I followed the recipe exactly (except used regular white sliced mushrooms) and ended up with a delicious meal that even pleased by picky 11 year old! I will be making this again and again! Thank you!
Jim Mee Sha
Am so glad that you and your family love it!