Kimchi Jjigae

A stew built on kimchi old enough to be sour, fried hard in pork fat before any liquid goes anywhere near it.

Pork, Fish, Tofu. Not vegetarian — contains fish, fish sauce, pork.

Ingredients

• 500 g kimchi, as on its own page, well fermented
• 100 ml kimchi brine from the jar
• 300 g pork belly, in 1 cm slices
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon gochugaru
• 1 tablespoon gochujang
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 600 ml anchovy and kelp stock, as on its own page
• 300 g firm tofu, in thick slices
• 3 spring onions, in 4 cm lengths
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Method

1. THE KIMCHI MUST BE OLD AND SOUR, AND IT IS FRIED IN FAT BEFORE ANY LIQUID. Both halves matter and the first one decides whether to cook this at all. Fresh kimchi is crisp and mild and makes a thin, sweetish stew that tastes of not much; kimchi a month or more old has turned properly sour, and that sourness is the backbone of the dish. If your kimchi is young, leave it out of the fridge for a few days first -- or make something else.
2. AND FRYING IT IS THE STEP PEOPLE SKIP. Five to eight minutes in the rendered pork fat, until it darkens, softens and starts to catch on the base of the pan. That cooks the raw edge off the chilli and concentrates the kimchi before it is diluted. Liquid added to raw kimchi gives you sour cabbage soup.
3. THE BRINE FROM THE JAR GOES IN TOO. It is the most concentrated thing in this dish and pouring it down the sink is throwing away the seasoning. A hundred millilitres, and salt is judged at the end because of it.
4. PORK BELLY RATHER THAN A LEAN CUT, and it goes in first on its own to render. The fat is the cooking medium for the kimchi and there is no substitute for it here; a lean pork loin gives nothing to fry in.
5. THE TOFU IS LAID ON TOP AND NOT STIRRED IN. It goes in for the last five minutes, pushed just under the surface, and left alone. Stirred, it breaks into crumbs and clouds the stew.
6. Pork belly fried in a heavy pot over a medium-high heat, no oil, 5 minutes until the fat runs and the edges brown.
7. The onion added and softened 3 minutes.
8. The kimchi cut into bite-sized pieces and added with the garlic.
9. FRIED 5 to 8 MINUTES, stirred, until it darkens and begins to catch.
10. Gochugaru, gochujang and sugar stirred in, 1 minute.
11. The kimchi brine poured in and bubbled hard for a moment, scraping the base.
12. The stock added and brought to the boil, then simmered 20 MINUTES.
13. The tofu slices laid on top and pushed just under. 5 minutes more, not stirred.
14. Tasted for salt -- it may need none. Spring onions scattered on and the sesame oil drizzled over off the heat.
15. Taken to the table in the pot, still bubbling, with steamed rice as on its own page.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under South Korea · All recipes