Dinner Tonight: Zen’s Kimchi Jjigae
Like Blake, my first experience with kimchi came in a piping hot bowl of soup that our friend Duncan made after returning from Korea. I’ve been addicted for a few years now, but for some reason have never tried to make the soup that first got me hooked. I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the recipe I did find, but it is delicious. Even the fianc—e, who has no particular love for the fermented cabbage, had to admit she loved it. The addition of the sugar helps calm this spicy stew, making it a little less aggressive and more rounded.
Bacon can surely be substituted for the fresh pork belly, though you’ll want to adjust the seasoning because of the added salt. But really, it’s more fun to buy a big hunk of uncured belly. I found mine at the local Asian supermarket for about 2 dollars a pound. So even though they wouldn’t let me get anything less than a pound and a half, I got out for under 4 bucks. I also got to practice removing pig skin with a large knife, which is a good time if I ever knew one.
About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a co-founder of The Paupered Chef, a blog dedicated to saving time and money while enjoying food in every way possible. He sells wine for a living and lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Zen’s Kimchi Jjigae
- serves 4 -
Adapted from ZenKimchi
Ingredients
1/2 pound pork belly, skin removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 pound kimchi, chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
4 scallions, chopped
6 cups water
2 teaspoons black pepper
Salt
Procedure
1. Place a large pot over medium high heat. When nice and hot, dump in the pork belly and brown quickly on all sides. Remove the pork, and then add the onions. There should be enough fat in the pan to cook the onions, if not add a little peanut oil. Cook the onion slices until they begin to brown, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add the ginger, garlic, kimchi, and scallions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes or until very fragrant.
3. Pour in the 6 cups of water and return the pork to the pot. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the sugar and black pepper and stir. Season with salt if needed.
5. Serve piping hot with some white rice.
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7 Comments:
Cool! Glad it worked out.
As for authenticity, I was playing and trying to recreate the flavor of the first kimchi jjigae that "did it" for me from a little blue collar diner down the street from my first place in Ansan, South Korea. I regularly ordered from there, and I asked them how they did it. They said they put a little this and a little that, but the one ingredient that stood out in my memory was sugar.
I also sometimes throw in some soju in my jjigae (when Significant Other isn't looking).
ZenKimchi at 11:30PM on 06/04/08
When I make kimchi chigae, it turns into a refridgerator type of soup. I start with the base much like yours, except I don't use bacon (although I'm going to try that next time). After I add the water, I add in some dahshidah and some gochuchang, and some miso paste. Another staple that is usually found in kimchi chigae is tofu, and bean sprouts towards the end. If I'm making it for a complete meal, I'll add in some dumplings (mandu) and if it gets too spicy, imitation crab meat is nice. Another thing is bean thread noodles are really good in it and my most favorite way is a few minutes before serving, dump an entire can of tuna (water and all) and stir. That is really good! I have also found the longer it simmers on med/low heat, the better. I once had to make a large pot for a group of Korean women and I wouldn't have enough time in the morning, so I got out the crockpot, put all the ingredients in and let it simmer all night long on low. Those women were crazy for the soup. Using a crock pot was very different for them. The soup turned a light brown which I have been told means it's ready.
Vlntchr at 1:22AM on 06/05/08
I "discovered" (read: it was the only thing to eat while out drinking) tuna kimchi jjigae this past year. I LOVE IT!! It is a surprising flavor and is possibly one of the best applications in the world for canned tuna.
ZenKimchi at 8:21AM on 06/05/08
I love kimchi jjigae!!!
Instead of using dashida, boil kelp + dried anchovies for an authentic flavor that is also healthy. I also like adding small rice cakes (the kind is called gah leh dduk, the same kind in ddukbokki).
One thing I'd like to add is that if you fry the kimchi on a frying pan with a tiny bit of oil before adding the broth to boil, it makes it even more delicious! And you definitely need some pepper flakse for heat ;)
Moosie82 at 12:36PM on 06/05/08
Spam is the secret to a delicious kimchi chigae.
blim8183 at 1:06PM on 06/05/08
I definitely agree with blim8163, spam definitely makes delicious kimchijigae. I generally use some type of pork product (pork belly or spam) and add some tofu and another ingredient. One ingredient I didn't see in the mix is sesame oil - I add some of that too. It's a great dish to make when you have leftovers and really fermented kimchi.
PattyCho at 12:35PM on 06/07/08
Sounds good, need help with the kimchi part before I can get to the yummy soup part. Love soup, and learned it can make a great breakfast. A fav is doggy-bag pho bo from Viet restaurant night before. ;-) (we drain off noodles for separate storage as they disintegrate fairly quickly.)
Back to this interesting kimchi soup. Could someone recommend some commercial brands of kimchi they've tried and know is good? When I go to Asian markets, am comfronted with many choices and don't know where to start, knowing all commercial offerings are not equal. While I might not can find your recommendations in my area, it's worth a shot. And/or could you point me to a simple (please) recipe to make kimchi, one which doesn't involve burying a jar for weeks (if I had a yard, we could talk about burying jars of kimchi). I've had kimchi I loved and some I didn't, but only in restaurants.
vbohanz at 10:03AM on 06/09/08