Kimchi Jjigae Recipe: Korean Kimchi Stew in 20 Minutes

Full transcript

Annyeong! Yul here. If you ask Koreans what food reminds them of home, many will say one thing. Kimchi jjigae! Kimchi stew.

Here's the secret: the best kimchi jjigae uses old, very sour kimchi. In Korea we call it mugeunji. When kimchi gets too sour to eat fresh, we don't throw it away. We turn it into stew. Zero waste, maximum flavor!

Let's cook. Cut about two hundred grams of pork belly into small pieces. In a pot, fry the pork with a little oil until it's golden. Add two cups of chopped sour kimchi and fry it together for three minutes. This step makes the flavor deep and rich.

Now add a spoon of gochugaru, a spoon of gochujang if you like it thicker, minced garlic, and a pinch of sugar. Pour in two cups of water, or the water you used to wash rice. Koreans love using rice water for stews because it makes the soup smooth.

Boil it for about fifteen minutes. Then add sliced tofu and green onions, and cook for five more minutes. Done!

Yul's tip! Kimchi jjigae is never eaten alone. You need a bowl of hot white rice next to it. Take a spoon of stew, a spoon of rice, and say, siwonhae! That's what Koreans say about hot soup. It means refreshing, even though it's boiling hot. Korean logic! Masitge deuseyo!