Whenever I want something homey and comforting, I always make this cabbage soybean paste soup. It’s very nostalgic and reminds me of home every single time.
This soup is usually made with an anchovy broth that takes 20-30 minutes to make however, I wanted a way to speed up the cooking time while maintaining the integrity of the flavors of this soup. A trick I learned to cut the cook time by half is homemade anchovy powder!
The anchovy powder replicates the same flavors of the anchovy broth, which is usually made by simmering dried anchovies and kelp in water. This hack is such a time saver and my go-to whenever I want to make a quick and delicious Korean soup or stew.

Baechu Doenjang Guk (Cabbage Soy Bean Paste Soup)
Ingredients
- 1/2 head napa cabbage about 1/2 lb
- 2.5 cups water
- 2 tbsp doenjang Korean soy bean paste
- 1 tsp gochujang Korean red pepper paste
- 1/2 tbsp soup soy sauce adjust to taste
- 1/2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 scallion chopped
- 1 long green pepper chopped
- 1/2 tbsp anchovy powder
Instructions
- Chop the napa cabbage into 1 inch pieces. Set aside.
- Mince the garlic. Chop the scallions and long green pepper.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Mix in the doenjang, gochujang, soup soy sauce and anchovy powder.
- Bring to boil and add the napa cabbage and minced garlic. Cook for about 15 minutes until cabbage has softened.
- Taste the soup and add more soup soy sauce if needed. Toss in the scallions and pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Serve immediately with a bowl of rice.
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