Recipe: Zen’s Kimchi Jjigae
Summary: After tasting other people’s Kimchi Jjigaes and introducing some of my more western preferences, here’s my latest recipe for Kimchi Jjigae. Like my chili recipe, it’s constantly evolving.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lbs. Bacon or Samgyeopsal (fresh pork belly), thick sliced, salted or unsalted
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 1 Tbsp. Ginger, minced
- Handful of Garlic Cloves, smashed and whole
- 1/2 lbs. Kimchi, preferrably old
- 2 Tsp. Sugar
- Salt to taste (depending if you have salted or unsalted bacon)
- Fresh cracked Black Pepper, lots of it
- Rice Vinegar (optional)
- 1/2 bottle of Soju (Korean traditional liquor)
Instructions
- Brown the Bacon in a hot wok. When it is brown, move it to the side.
- Brown the Onions in the bacon grease.
- Add the Ginger, Kimchi, and Garlic. Stir fry for a while.
- Fill the wok with water until it’s covered the ingredients. Boil for five minutes. You will end up with a rich red broth.
- Add the Sugar and Black Pepper and taste. Adjust the Sugar, Vinegar and Salt until a nice balance of salty, sweet, and sour is achieved. The Kimchi should give it enough sourness, but vinegar should be at the ready just in case.
- Throw in 1/2 bottle of Soju to give it that extra kick. Drink the rest with due caution.
- Let it boil for a few more minutes. Serve it hot or boiling (if possible) with steamed rice to balance the strong flavor of the stew.
Variations
You can also substitute a can of tuna for the pork. Not only is it healthy, it’s a surprisingly good tasting alternative. Something magical happens with Chamchi (Tuna) Kimchi Jjigae. It’s sweeter and has good depth.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 20 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
My rating
Culinary tradition: Korean
Calories: 399
Fat: 27
Protein: 8
Microformatting by hRecipe.
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