Kimchi stew, or kimchi jigae, is one of my favorite things to eat during the winter. When it’s chilly outside, there’s nothing better than a stone pot bubbling with this fiery red stew in front of you.
While it looks incredibly spicy, I usually find this kimchi stew to be relatively mild. Despite their angry red color, Korean chili flakes are somewhat mild when compared to, say the crushed red pepper flakes you sprinkle over your cheese slice at the pizza parlor. That said, feel free to adjust the recipe according to your spice tolerance. If an innocent buffalo wing sets you running, you might want to take a pass on this one. But if a healthy dash of Tabasco on your scrambled eggs sounds appealing, you can definitely handle the heat in this dish.
As with any cuisine that’s unfamiliar to a home cook, I was once under the impression that cooking Korean food was hard. I reserved the indulgence for restaurants only, making pilgrimages to Manhattan’s Koreatown for heavy doses of banchan, Dubu Kimchi, and this Kimchi Jigae, my go-to order.
But the Internet changed that! In walks Maangchi, my favorite Korean food blogger, and she’s makin’ it look easy. Much like I hope The Woks of Life does for Chinese cooking (if I’m allowed to say that without sounding braggy). This recipe is based off her Kimchi Stew, with a few of my own tweaks.
It’s super easy to whip up, especially if you use a shortcut––store-bought broth. While many kimchi stew recipes, including Maangchi’s, call for a from-scratch broth made from kelp, dried anchovies, and other ingredients, using a good quality organic chicken, fish, or even beef stock can make kimchi jigae a reality in your kitchen in under an hour. Got it? Let’s begin.
Oh, before we start…one more thing. You’ll notice in the photos here that I’ve made one serving of this Kimchi stew in my nifty single-serve Korean pot. The recipe written below can be cooked in a larger pot, and actually serves 6! But the steps in the photos below are all the same.
Okay, you’ll need:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- ½ pound pork belly or shoulder, thinly sliced
- 1 pound kimchi (with juices), chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Korean chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- 3 cups chicken, fish, or beef broth
- 8 oz. firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 scallion, chopped
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pork belly, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the pork is lightly browned and the onions start to soften.
Add the kimchi and fry for 2 minutes.
Then add the salt, sugar, chili flakes, gochujang, and broth. Stir until combined.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Uncover and lay the tofu over the top. Replace the cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. Uncover for the last time and stir in the sesame oil.
Garnish with the chopped scallion and serve immediately with steamed rice!
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- ½ pound pork belly or shoulder, thinly sliced
- 1 pound kimchi (with juices), chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Korean chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- 3 cups chicken, fish, or beef broth
- 8 oz. firm tofu, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 scallion, chopped
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pork belly, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the pork is lightly browned and the onions start to soften.
- Add the kimchi and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the salt, sugar, chili flakes, gochujang, and broth. Stir until combined. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Uncover and lay the tofu over the top. Replace the cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. Uncover for the last time and stir in the sesame oil. Garnish with the chopped scallion and serve immediately with steamed rice!
Fred Time says
I bought a jar of Kimchi at our local Asian supermarket.
I would like to make soup or stew with the purchased Kimchi. Do you have a receipe I could use?
I ordered the Kimchi soup at our Korean restaurant & loved it.
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
[email protected]
Sarah says
Hey Fred, the recipe is above.
Dan says
This looks so good! I’m going to try it this weekend. I already have a large back of Korean chili powder, using this instead of the flakes would be ok or would I need to alter the amount?
Thanks, I love your recipes!
Kaitlin says
Hey Dan, using the powder should be fine in the same quantity–it just won’t quite have that same (almost gritty) texture of Korean stews.
okiegirl says
It’s springtime warm here right now, but I could not resist trying this recipe. So glad I did! It’s scrumptious! It was absolutely perfect for using up those bits of tofu and pork belly hanging around the fridge.
Hahaha, in honor of this recipe I finally broke down and purchased some Korean chili flakes even though I had to buy a 4 lb bag. Flip side of that, now I’ll have them on hand when called for.
okiegirl says
P.S. The deli at my local Asian market has the BEST kimchi!
Sarah says
Hey Okiegirl, thanks for reporting back! We buy those chili flakes in bulk as well––it IS really nice to have them on hand when needed!
okiegirl says
Do you know how long they will keep in the pantry?
(Testing to see if I can comment.)
Sarah says
Looks like you’re good, Judy!
Ronnie @ SipandSpice says
Kimchi Jjigae is my favourite spicy Korean Stew! I absolutely LOVE it.
When the temperatures drop and my body starts to shiver it is one of the few dishes that can keep my blood circulating.
The only problem is I never have any Kimchi leftover to make e stew myself! Unfortunately in Switzerland, Korean restaurants and grocery stores are few and far between. So when I have the hankering, I have got to get on a train and head into the city, which is a pain.
If I ever have any Kimchi in the fridge, I’ll give your recipe a go.
Sarah says
Let us know how it turns out if you do decide to try it, Ronnie!
rainna says
yay! thanks for posting this :D just made it and it was awesome.
Sarah says
So glad you liked it!
Yumebi says
After seeing your post,I started craving some Kimchi. So I went to my favourite asian market and – et voila – they had all the Korean stuff on the list! Apparently, Korean stuff is becoming popular even in Germany :-D
Sarah says
That’s awesome! Good to know you can find this stuff in Europe!
Little Cooking Tips says
Allow us to tell you that it does not sound like you’re bragging:) You guys do offer to all of us a unique insight into the authentic Chinese cuisine, it’s like an addiction you created for many of us:) And we thank you for it!
As for this Korean dish, we very often read on the Internet about kimchi but we still haven’t found some here in Greece, even in specialty stores. So, here comes the silly question: can we use classic pickled veggies? Does that sound like something that would perhaps work? We hope you forgive us for asking various similar questions from time to time:) After all, this is called KIMCHI stew, we know:)
Sending you guys all our love,
Panos and Mirella
xoxoxo
Sarah says
Haha thank you guys! It’s so great to see you around the blog again. :)
Not sure if it’s possible to use other kinds of pickled veggies for this, as the kimchi is so central to the dish. You might be able to try making your own kimchi though! Do you have access to napa cabbage?
Little Cooking Tips says
Yes we do, it’s sold here as “Chinese cabbage” :) You’re right it’s always better if we try and make some on our own. Thanx so much dear Sarah! xo
Francine says
Could you please post the recipe for 1 person? Or do I have to divide the recipe by 6? I like all your recipes.
Thank you.
Francine
Judy says
Hi Francine, it’s hard to divide the recipe by 6, but it’s doable to divide the recipe by 3.
okiegirl says
I routinely divide recipes here in half (which sometimes requires some creativity!) since I’m not cooking for 4-6 people and I have a small 12″ wok. I don’t think there has been any flavor loss by doing so. Reducing further would seem very difficult to do.
Z says
Hey Sarah. Kimchi jjigae are some of my favourite soups (although for some reason I prefer sundubu kimchi jjigae over this one but they’re both still super-tasty). Just wanted to mention one thing about gochugaru (Korean chili flakes). The spiciness actually varies wildly depending on the brand. The one I use you can’t even touch with your bare hands cause it will literally burn some people (personally it just makes my hands feel weirdly warm like I was holding them in steam, for the next few hours but still). I have to use latex gloves when making kimchi because of it. Comparing that one to the stuff for pizza, I don’t find the pizza stuff spicy at all :P So it really depends on the brand.
Also, I love my dolsot (the stone bowl thing)! I use it for like everything. If I had space in my house I would totally buy one of the bigger ones to make larger batches of jjigae. ^^
Sarah says
Thanks for the tip Z! Most of the brands I’ve tried have been pretty mild for whatever reason. But that’s good to know!
Jack Ebel says
I love the soup bowl in the Kimchi Stew photograph. Any chance you could tell me were you got it. Love your web site. Thank you
Ann says
Please allow me to ‘jump in’. I found similar bowls at Korean market. Some come with lids and some do not.
Sarah says
Hey Ann, yes I did buy this at a Korean supermarket! You’re right that some of they don’t have lids. I don’t find the lid to be all that necessary, as I usually just take the pot straight from the stove to the table and start eating. :)
Sarah says
Hi Jack, I bought it from a Korean supermarket chain called H-Mart. But you can also buy them on Amazon. Here’s a link if you’re interested: http://amzn.to/1XdLsIF.