A warm, spicy and steaming pot of stew is surely the best dish to be served on a cold and rainy day. Kimchi stew or Kimchi-jjigae (김치찌개), made with kimchi and other ingredients, namely scallions, onions, silken beancurd and pork has been my favourite stew since my last visit to South Korea.
Kimchi-jjigae is cooked using fermented and older kimchi, rather than fresh kimchi. This is because the latter may not be able to exude a rich and pungent taste as compared to the older “ripe” kimchi. Lucky me, my mom-in-law who is the expert in making kimchi, has given me a bottle of “ripe” kimchi which has eased my preparation process. Besides that, instead of using the usual chicken or beef stock as seasoning, a homemade umami-rich anchovy (myeolchi) stock was used. What a healthy, yet satisfying meal for both hubby and I, to the extent we even had additional bowls of rice to go with this dish.
Kimchi Stew (Kimchi-jjigae) Recipe
Serves: 2-3 pax / Prep Time: 10 mins / Cook Time: 40 mins / Level of Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients
- 2 cups kimchi (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 1/2 cup kimchi brine
- 1 packet silken soft beancurd (cut into thin slices)
- 1 big onion (sliced thinly)
- 3 fresh scallions (cut diagonally, into 1 inch)
- 1 fresh scallions (chopped finely)
- 2 tbsp. Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang)
- 2 tsp. India hot chilli flakes or Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 cups of anchovy stock or chicken or beef stock
- 300g pork strips or pork shoulder
Stock – 3 Cups’ Worth
- 10-15 dried anchovies (removed both head and guts)
- 4” x 5” or 20g kombu
- 1-2 scallion roots
- 1/2 cup daikon radish (sliced thinly)
- 5 cups water
Marinade (optional)
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- Few dashes of white pepper
Instructions
1. Marinate the meat and set it aside in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.
2. Gently clean the kombu with a damp cloth without removing the umami (white powdery substance).
3. Place the kombu, daikon, anchovies and green onion root in a pot.
4. Add water and bring to boil over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes, lower the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and strain the ingredients with a sieve in a small pot. Set it aside.
6. Place the kimchi and the brine onto a pan.
7. Add in the pork strips, onion and scallions into the pan.
8. Add in the Korean hot pepper paste, hot chilli flakes, salt, sugar and drizzle the sesame oil over it.
9. Gently pour in the anchovy stock. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes in over medium high heat.
10. After 10 minutes, mix the seasonings and the stock with a spoon. Gently place the beancurd over the top.
11. Cover the pan and cook for another 15 minutes over a medium high heat.
12. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat. Place the chopped fresh scallions on top of the stew. Serve immediately with hot steamed rice.
NOTES:
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