Kimchi jjigae
Kimchi stew
김치찌개: sour aged kimchi, pork belly and soft tofu bubbling in one pot
Every Korean home has a version of kimchi jjigae, and it turns up on the table from Seoul to Busan at breakfast, lunch and late at night. It is the classic way to use up kimchi that has fermented for weeks and turned properly sour. Pork belly gives the broth richness, tofu soaks up the heat, and the pot comes to the table still boiling, next to a bowl of plain rice. Chef's tip: fry the kimchi in the pork fat for a full 5 minutes before any water goes in; that is where the deep, savoury flavour comes from.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the stew
- 7 oz pork bellyskin removed, cut into 5 mm slices
- 10 ½ oz aged (sour) napa cabbage kimchicut into bite-size pieces
- 4 tbsp kimchi juice from the jar
- 1 onionsliced
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 ½ cups water or anchovy stock
- 10 ½ oz medium-firm tofucut into 1.5 cm slices
To finish
- 2 spring onionscut into 3 cm lengths
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 bowls cooked short-grain riceto serve
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put a wide, shallow pot over a medium heat and add 7 oz pork belly. Fry, stirring now and then, until the fat runs and the edges turn golden.
4 minStep 2: Add 10 ½ oz aged (sour) napa cabbage kimchi and ½ tsp sugar and fry with the pork for 5 minutes, until the kimchi softens and looks glossy. Common mistake: using fresh, crisp kimchi. It makes a flat, harsh stew; the kimchi should smell clearly sour and be at least 3 to 4 weeks old.
5 minStep 3: Stir in 2 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 1 tbsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru) and 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste) and cook for 1 minute, until the paste coats everything.
1 minStep 4: Pour in 2 ½ cups water or anchovy stock, 4 tbsp kimchi juice from the jar and 1 tsp soy sauce. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then turn down to a lively simmer.
3 minStep 5: Simmer for 8 minutes, until the pork is cooked through and tender and the broth has turned a deep red. Taste and add a little more kimchi juice if it needs more tang.
8 minStep 6: Lay 10 ½ oz medium-firm tofu on top and spoon some broth over it. Simmer for 3 minutes more, until the tofu is hot right through.
3 minStep 7: Scatter over 2 spring onions, drizzle with 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and take the pot straight to the table. Serve with 3 bowls cooked short-grain rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kimchi jjigae take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Filipino
Ful nabitSprouted fava bean soup
Sprouted beans are ladled out with their cooking liquor in Cairo homes when the weather turns cold or someone is feeling run down, and Egyptians swear by the broth as a pick-me-up. The beans are soaked and left to sprout for a few days, then simmered with onion, garlic and cumin into a light, earthy soup that is sharpened at the table with plenty of lemon. You can eat the beans with a spoon or pop them from their skins. Allow 3 to 4 days for sprouting, although the hands-on work is only about 20 minutes. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must not eat fava beans. Chef's tip: stop the sprouting when the shoots are about 1 cm long; longer sprouts taste grassy and bitter.
Egyptian
BabboucheSpiced snail broth
After dark in Marrakech's great square, the babbouche stalls are recognisable by their steaming cauldrons and the toothpicks laid out by every bowl. Small land snails simmer in a dark broth of liquorice root, aniseed, thyme, caraway, bitter orange peel, chilli and a bundle of herbs that sellers say has fifteen ingredients, believed to soothe the stomach and warm you on a cold night. You pick the snails out with a toothpick, then drink the peppery, herbal, faintly sweet broth. At home, buy live snails sold for cooking, already purged by a reputable seller, discard any with broken shells or that do not move or retract when touched, and cook them through for at least 45 minutes. Chef's tip: keep the spices in a muslin bag; the broth stays clear and you avoid crunching on seeds.
Moroccan