Easy Korean Spinach Soup (Sigeumchi Doenjang Guk)

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Whenever the temperature drops in Seoul and the icy wind coming off the Han River starts biting, my mother immediately reaches for her trusty earthenware pot and a tub of brown fermented soybean paste. In Korean home cooking, we have a concept called jipbap—the honest, unpretentious food cooked in family kitchens every single day. At the very heart of jipbap sits a bowl of warm soup paired with fresh white rice. While heavy meat stews like galbitang (short rib soup) or spicy kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) get most of the attention in restaurants overseas, sigeumchi doenjang guk (Korean spinach soybean paste soup) is what actually sustains us on quiet Tuesday mornings and busy weeknight dinners.

This classic korean spinach soup is deeply comforting, nutty, and wonderfully light. Unlike thick Western cream soups or heavy beef broths, this dish relies on a savory kelp-and-anchovy stock infused with rich doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) and sweet, tender fresh spinach. It comes together in under twenty minutes, making it one of the easiest soups to recreate in your own kitchen regardless of where you live.

Why This Works

• Straining the paste for a silky broth: Whisking the doenjang through a fine-mesh sieve catches gritty soybean hulls while releasing deep umami into the pot, giving you a smooth, clean broth rather than a murky one.
• Flash-cooking the spinach: Adding fresh spinach directly into the gently bubbling broth at the very end preserves its bright green color, sweet natural flavor, and tender-crisp texture without turning it dark or slimy.
• Using starch-rich rice water: Base broth made with ssalttumul (water from washing rice) naturally binds the soup’s flavors, mellows out harsh salty notes from the fermented paste, and adds a delicate body.

Ingredients

• 1.2 liters (about 5 cups): Rice wash water (ssalttumul) or plain filtered water
• 15 g (about 0.5 oz / 8-10 large): Dried soup anchovies (myeolchi), heads and guts removed
• 10 g (about 0.35 oz / one 4×4 inch piece): Dried kelp (dashima / kombu)
• 45 g (3 tbsp): Korean fermented soybean paste (doenjang)
• 250 g (about 0.55 lb / 9 oz): Fresh mature spinach, washed thoroughly with stems intact
• 15 g (1 tbsp / about 3 cloves): Garlic, finely minced
• 30 g (about 2 medium): Green onions (scallions), sliced diagonally
• 1 small (optional): Cheongyang chili or jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced for a mild kick
• 5 ml (1 tsp, optional): Korean soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) or fish sauce to adjust final seasoning

Substitutions

If you live far from an Asian supermarket, you can still easily make this dish using items from a regular Western grocery store. Here are practical swaps that work well:

• Anchovy Broth Base: If dried soup anchovies and dashima are hard to source, use a mild vegetable broth or low-sodium chicken broth as your liquid base. You can also buy convenient Korean broth coins or tea-bag style stock pouches online via Amazon.
• Doenjang: Korean doenjang is stronger, saltier, and more pungent than Japanese miso paste because it is made purely from fermented soybeans without added rice mold. If you must use Japanese red miso or yellow miso, add an extra tablespoon because miso is milder, and avoid boiling it too long so its aromatic qualities do not evaporate.
• Spinach: Traditional Korean recipes call for mature spinach with sweet, reddish root ends intact. However, regular bagged leaf spinach or baby spinach from any supermarket will work fine. If using baby spinach, add it during the very last minute of cooking because it wilts almost instantly.

How to Make It

1. Prepare the broth stock: Pour 1.2 liters (5 cups) of rice wash water or plain water into a medium pot. Add 15 g of gutted dried anchovies and 10 g of dried kelp. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Once it starts boiling, simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the kelp with tongs. Continue simmering the anchovies alone for another 10 minutes before straining out all solids. Why: Boiling kelp for too long releases excess mucilage and bitter tannins that ruin the clear taste of the broth, while anchovies need a full 15 minutes to fully yield their deep savory flavor.

2. Dissolve the soybean paste: Reduce the heat to medium. Place a fine-mesh wire strainer directly over the bubbling broth and add 45 g (3 tbsp) of doenjang into the sieve. Use a spoon to press and stir the paste through the mesh directly into the soup, discarding the coarse soybean skins left behind in the sieve. Why: Pressing the paste through a screen eliminates gritty seed bits, creating a silky soup base that feels pleasant and smooth on the palate.

3. Prep and clean the spinach: While the broth simmered, trim off the dirty tips of the spinach roots, leaving the red crowns attached if using whole mature bunches. Cut large bunches into bite-sized 2-inch lengths. Wash thoroughly in a large bowl of cold water 3 times to remove any hidden grit between the stems. Drain completely. Why: Sand loves hiding inside spinach root bases; washing in floating water allows heavy sand to sink to the bottom while spinach floats safely on top.

4. Simmer garlic and spinach: Stir 15 g of minced garlic into the seasoned broth, then drop in all the prepared spinach at once. Keep the heat on medium and simmer uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes until the thickest stem portions turn tender and dark green. Why: Cooking spinach uncovered prevents trapped organic acids from altering its bright green color, keeping the soup visually appealing and fresh-tasting.

5. Finish and adjust taste: Add 30 g of sliced green onions and optional sliced chili peppers. Stir gently and let the soup simmer for one final minute. Taste the soup; if you prefer a saltier finish, add up to 1 tsp of soup soy sauce or a pinch of salt. Turn off the heat and serve immediately in deep soup bowls alongside hot steamed white rice. Why: Adding fresh green onions at the absolute end preserves their crisp, sweet bite without over-softening them in hot broth.

If Something Goes Wrong

Problem	Likely Cause	Fix
Broth tastes bitter or overly fishy	Kelp was boiled too long or anchovy viscera were left intact	Always remove kelp after 5 minutes of boiling and gut anchovies beforehand; stir in a splash of rice wine or a pinch of sugar to round out flavors.
Soup turned out too salty or harsh	Doenjang paste is highly concentrated or boiled down too much	Dilute with extra water or rice wash water (ssalttumul), or add a handful of extra fresh spinach to absorb excess saltiness.
Spinach looks dull brown or feels slimy	Overcooked or covered with a lid while simmering	Keep the pot uncovered when cooking spinach, and limit boiling to no more than 3–4 minutes right before serving.

Tips from a Korean Kitchen

Making a truly great bowl of korean spinach soup comes down to subtle Korean home kitchen habits passed down through generations:

• Never throw away sweet red spinach roots: In Korea, the reddish crown where the leaves meet the root is considered the sweetest, most nutritious part of the plant. Instead of chopping roots off completely, slice the base crosswise into halves or quarters so the leaves hold together naturally while releasing natural sweetness into your soup.
• Harness the power of ssalttumul: When washing rice for your meal, drain off the first bowl of cloudy water (which washes away dust). Save the second and third rinses! The subtle starch suspended in this water binds the soup’s flavors, mellows out harsh salty notes from the fermented paste, and creates a smooth broth consistency.

Scaling & Make-Ahead

Make-Ahead Prep: You can prepare the anchovy-kelp stock up to 3 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, for best texture and color, add the doenjang, garlic, and fresh spinach only when reheating right before serving.

Doubling the Recipe: To serve a crowd, double all ingredient quantities proportionally. When doubling, keep the broth boiling duration the same (5 minutes for kelp, 15 minutes for anchovies) and cook the spinach uncovered for the standard 3 to 4 minutes.

Key Takeaways

• Strained Doenjang Base: Passing fermented soybean paste through a fine sieve into rice wash water (ssalttumul) builds a silky, clean broth without gritty hull residue.
• Balanced Broth Timing: Removing kelp after 5 minutes avoids bitterness while giving anchovies 15 minutes yields a rich, savory umami base.
• Flash Simmering Uncovered: Adding spinach in the last 3-4 minutes without a lid preserves bright green color, sweet flavor, and pleasant tender-crisp texture.
• Root-to-Leaf Flavor: Leaving the reddish spinach crowns intact adds natural sweetness and traditional home-style Korean depth to every bowl.

More Korean Recipes

• Comforting Korean Cabbage Soup: Baechu Doenjang Guk (배추 된장국)
• Creamy Korean Oxtail Soup (Kkori Gomtang)
• Jjamppong (Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup) – A Home Cook’s Recipe
• Home-Style Sujebi (Korean Hand-Torn Noodle Soup) Recipe