Kimchi jjigae (kim-chee gee-gay) is a spicy Korean stew made with kimchi and pork belly. This recipe was given to me to by a friend who introduced me to Korean food.
Kimchi is a Korean side dish (or ban chan) that is pretty much spicy pickled vegetables. I’ve tasted the cucumber, turnip and cabbage types of kimchi. However, this dish requires cabbage kimchi. Although I don’t typically like spicy food, I really enjoy kimchi because it’s more tangy than hot.
If you already are a fan of kimchi, this is a great way to use old kimchi.
The Basics
- Pork belly – Cut diced. I’ve been told you can substitute this with Spam, but I haven’t tried it yet.
- Sesame seed oil – 1 tbsp
- Onions – Diced
- Cabbage kimchi with juice
- Water
- Firm tofu; optional – diced
- Doenjang; optional – Korean miso paste
The Rundown
This is what unsliced pork belly looks like. Yummy! It’s pretty much slabs of bacon that’s uncured. I dice it without cutting it in half horizontally, so that the skin stays connected with the meat.
Put a small casserole pot on the stove top. Heat on medium-high heat. Add sesame see oil and brown pork belly and onions for a few minutes.
Add 1-2 tbsp of doenjang (pictured above), kimchi, tofu and about a 1/2 cup of water to the pot. Add some kimchi juice if you want to make it extra spicy. Gently boil for about 30-45 minutes or until the kimchi is softened.
Carefully remove from the stove top with oven mitts. Serve along side a bowl of hot rice soaking in water or tea. Enjoy!
Tags: korean recipe, recipe, simple, soup and stew, spicy
