Kimchi Stew: Kimchi-jjigae (김치찌개)
When the weather gets a little chilly, I always crave some broth-ee stew or soup to warm me from the inside out. This makes sense because I practically grew up eating a bowl of soup or stew with almost every meal that my mom prepared. Koreans are religious about their stew or soup. A typical, simple Korean meal consists of a bowl of rice, kimchi, some side dishes, and a bowl of soup on the side. Even though there are many wonderful stews in Korea, kimchi stew has been consistently voted as the favorite among Koreans. This will come as no surprise once you try this dish. Don’t let the humble ingredients fool you, kimchi stew is a hearty meal packed with flavor. Don’t forget, good kimchi is the essential ingredient to make this dish. This gives you yet another reason to make kimchi ^^

Try this hearty, Korean staple! It will change your outlook on the world of stew ^^

SIDE DISH PAIRING TIP: Rice

SERVES 2
Total: 20 minutes Active: 15 minutes
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 cup kimchi, chopped about 2 inches in length
1 cup kimchi juice
2 cups vegetable stock or any broth of your choice (If you are in a hurry, use water instead)
4oz/113g firm tofu, sliced into large bite size pieces
1 cup pork shoulder, cubed into 0.5 inch pieces (any pork with a little marbled fat is the best)
1 tsp sugar
2 green onions, roughly chopped
Directions

1. Add the sesame oil, onion, and kimchi to a medium pot. Saute this over high heat for about 5 minutes until it begins to soften and appear sweaty.

2. Add the vegetable broth, kimchi juice, tofu, and pork. Continue to cook over high heat for about 4 minutes, covered, until it comes to a boil.
*Stir to get all the bits at the bottom. This is the flavor, you don’t want to miss out on it.

3. Lower the heat to medium and add the white parts of the green onion. Continue to cook it for about 8 minutes, covered, until all the flavors come together.

4. Turn the heat off. Add the sugar and the rest of the green onion. Stir it.

6. Serve with a bowl of rice and enjoy ^^

 

Gopher’s Tip:

Using vegetable stock makes the dish more broth-ee and will make the flavor profile more round.