Cook: Kimchi Jjigae (Korean Kimchi Stew)
If you watch a lot of Korean dramas (k-dramas) like me, you’ll often see the characters eating a hearty, red, spicy stew. They’re likely eating kimchi jjigae which is a delicious soup made with kimchi, broth, and a few other ingredients. Every person I know that makes this does it a little differently and this is my spin from my friend Hana’s recipe. We did a virtual cooking session and she taught us how to make it, and it really is one of the most comforting dishes. If you are unfamiliar with kimchi, this is a good place to start because cooking the soup helps cut down on the strong flavor of kimchi. If you are the type of person that always has kimchi in your fridge, it’s also a good way to get rid of the old kimchi and clear out space for a new jar (Thanks, Sue for the tip!) This is also easy because it’s a one pot soup and you can make it as mild or spicy as you like.
Prep Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: less than an hour
Ingredients: Will serve 2-4
1/2 onion (thinly sliced - white or yellow)
5-6 garlic cloves (peeled, minced)
Around 6 oz Spam, bacon, or pork belly (you can make vegetarian as well, just omit meat and add in some tofu instead)
3/4 jar of kimchi (around 1.5 cups) - I used a combination of napa cabbage kimchi and some daikon kimchi
1/2 amount juice of kimchi used
2 cups broth or water (I used dashi)
Paste* Ingredients:
2 tbsp Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
1/2 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean hot pepper flakes, or any kind of hot pepper flakes or powder)
1 tsp sesame oil and more for garnish
1 tbsp Mirin
Soy sauce to taste
Sugar (depending on how sweet the Gochuchang is, you might not need any extra)
*If you don’t have the Korean paste or spices you can improvise with other ingredients
Optional Toppings:
Green onions (sliced)
Tofu
Eggs
Shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
Bamboo shoots
Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp butter or oil in a dutch oven or medium sized pot. Brown the meat over medium-high heat and then add in onions and cook until soft. If you’re using tofu, don’t add it until the end or it will get too mushy.
Add in garlic and saute until very fragrant.
Add in the kimchi and juices and let simmer for about 20 minutes on medium-low heat. Once the liquids start to evaporate add in your broth of choice. Make sure everything is covered.
While this is simmering, mix the paste ingredients together in a small bowl and continue to taste until it’s satisfactory.
Add in a little bit of the paste mixture to the pot at a time to make sure it’s not too strong.
Let simmer for about 15-20 more minutes so that all the flavors can come together.
Serve over hot rice or eat plain as soup, either way is delicious. Top with green onions and a little bit of sesame oil.
If you’re serving with eggs, crack a few directly into the hot mixture and let them cook without disrupting them for about 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and then gently serve into a bowl.
There’s tons of different types of kimchi. Try them all to find out which you love.
Gochujang sauce - available at your local Asian market. Larger grocery chains may have it too!
