Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew) (2024)

The ultra comforting Korean stew – kimchi jjigae recipe!

Kimchi jjigae (김치찌개) also known as kimchi stew or kimchi soup is probably the most common way of consuming some aged kimchi. It is a such a staple food in Korean households that typically Koreans would eat it at least once or twice a week if not more.

I love making kimchi jjigae with some fatty pork meat. Of course, you can make it differently using different types of meat (beef or canned tuna etc) but in my humble opinion, the fatty pork goes best with this soup. When the fat melts into the soup, it’s not just your ordinary kimchi soup. It’s so comforting and irresistible!

Seriously, I can finish my bowl of rice just with my kimchi jjigae without any side dishes. You MUST try this!

Other Recipes Using Kimchi

Do you love kimchi? Or you simply have too much in your fridge and don’t know what to do with it? If so, here are some recipes you can try with your kimchi!

• Kimchi Pancake
• Kimchi Fried Rice
• Kimchi Dumplings

If none of these interest you, check my how to eat kimchi post. There you will find additional 11 different ways you could use your kimchi.

Watch How to Make Kimchi Jjigae (video tutorial)

Ingredients for Kimchi Jjigae (Serves 2 to 3)

Meat

• 180g (0.4 pounds) skinless pork belly, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 Tbsp rice wine (mirin)
• 3 sprinkles ground black pepper

Kimchi& Others

• 3/4 cup aged (at least 2 to 3 weeks old) kimchi,cut into bite size pieces if not already
• 1/4 small (30g, 1 ounce) brown onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 stalk small (5g, 0.2 ounce) green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 small (50g, 1.4 ounces) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced
• 150g (5.3 ounces) firm tofu, sliced into 1cm (0.4 inch) thickness rectangle (or other shapes you may prefer)
• 1 cup water

Jjigae Base (Mix these in a bowl)

• 1 Tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tspKorean chili paste (gochujang)
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 3 sprinkles ground black pepper

*1 Tbsp = 15ml, 1 Cup = 250ml

** If you’re not sure of the above Korean cooking ingredients, look them up from my essential Korean Cooking Ingredients post.

How to Make Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)

1. Marinate the pork belly with the rice wine and the ground black pepper for about 15 mins.

2. Cook the kimchi in a skillet until soft. (You could do this in the pot where you will make this jjigae. Do this only if the pot is big enough to manoeuvre around.)

3. Put the marinated meat into the bottom of the pot. Add all the other ingredients (kimchi, onion, mushrooms, tofu, water and the base sauce) except for green onion into the pot.

4. Boil the pot on medium high heat initially then reduce the heat to medium once it starts boiling. Cook further until the meat is cooked. (It takes 10 to 15 mins from the beginning of step 4.) Make sure the sauce is well blended into the rest of the ingredients. (This can be done by gently mixing the sauce around the soup with a small teaspoon and splashing the soup over other ingredients every now then). When the meat is cooked, add the green onion and turn the heat off.

5. Serve with rice (and other side dishes).

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