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Bring the wave of Korean dramas right into your kitchen with this easy recipe for kimchi stew with pork and tofu! This popular Korean dish, kimchi jjigae is deliciously rich and flavorful! A bowl of salty, sour, sweet, and spicy stew in one!
I've been cooking this dish for a while but have not quite gotten the right balance of saltiness and spiciness until recently. I always skip adding the kimchi brine that was why my kimchi stew before was just meh and bland.
My love for kimchi started during our trip to South Korea in 2017. When you eat at any diner in Korea, there's always kimchi and lots of sides in every dish! Authentic kimchi is not just spicy and salty but amazingly has a tinge of sweetness. The cabbage tastes fresh and crunchy too.
Make sure to try my homemade kimchi recipe.
I'm glad that here in the US, Asian store is abundant. I usually buy kimchi in bulk. A 10-pound jar costs $20. I use it all the time, especially when I cook this stew or as a side to any fried food I eat. This stew is a household favorite I have in rotation twice a month.
How To Make Kimchi Stew with Pork and Tofu?
Cooking kimchi stew is easy and simple using store-bought broth like chicken, beef, or vegetables. In Korea, they usually make their stock from scratch using anchovy.
But I'm using chicken broth for this recipe because that's what I have on hand. You can also use beef or vegetable stock.
To make kimchi stew, you will need sesame oil, garlic, onions, pork belly, kimchi, its brine, broth, gochujang (Korean red pepper paste), salt, sugar, firm tofu, and scallions.
Except for kimchi, I never really liked spicy food so this version is a bit mild on the spiciness. If you like hot and spicy kimchi stew, add more red pepper paste and chili flakes.
You will need a pot to cook this stew. In Korean dramas, they usually serve this in a stone bowl called dolsot.
In medium-high heat, start heating a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Saute 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, medium-size sliced onions, and half a pound of pork belly for 5 minutes or until the pork is n longer red.
Add 2 cups of chopped kimchi along with 1/4 cup of kimchi brine. Simmer for 2 minutes. Pour in 2 cups of broth and add 2 teaspoons of gochujang and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Season with salt and simmer for 10 minutes. Topped with sliced firm tofu and sprinkle with scallions. Add a splash of sesame oil, cover the pot, and simmer for 2 minutes.
Kimchi stew with pork and tofu is best served with rice and fried salted mackerel.
What to do with leftover kimchi stew? What I always do with the leftover stew is turn it into ramen or udon. I either add ramen or udon noodles to the soup and stir in an egg.
Kimchi Stew Recipe with Pork and Tofu
Delicrunch.co
Bring the wave of Korean dramas right into your kitchen with this easy recipe for kimchi stew with pork and tofu! This popular Korean dish, also known as kimchi jjigae is deliciously rich and flavorful! A bowl of salty, sour, sweet, and spicy stew in one!
1/4cupkimchi brineit usually comes with the kimchi
2cupsbrothchicken, beef or vegetable
2teaspoonsgochujang(korean red pepper paste)
2teaspoonssugar
salt to season
12ozfirm tofusliced
1stemscallionssliced
1teaspoonsesame oil
Instructions
In a pot, heat oil in medium-high heat and saute the onions, garlic and the pork belly for 5 minutes or until the pork is not red anymore.
Add chopped kimchi along with its brine. Simmer for 2 minutes. Pour in broth and add in gochujang, and sugar. Season with salt and simmer for 10 minutes.
Topped with sliced firm tofu and sprinkle with scallions. Add a splash of sesame oil, cover the pot and simmer for 2 minutes.
Serve with rice.
Notes
For more spiciness, add another teaspoon of gochujang and 1 teaspoon chili flakes.
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LucyAsays
First time making Jjigae... it turned out great and the family loved it! I only tried it because of this easy to follow recipe 🙂
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Sam Rsays
This was so tasty and completely satisfied my pork belly and kimchi craving! I was wondering if the nutrition info could be provided? specifically the micronutrients. thank you!!
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Andisays
So delicious! I subbed out for pork tenderloin slices, agave syrup and toss in some vermicelli noodles while cooking instead of serving over rice. My new favourite Fall dish!
Soondubu has a much softer and fluffier texture from the silken tofu and the egg that gets cracked in at the end. Kimchi jjigae uses firm tofu that doesn't break down in the stew, and uses a lot more kimchi which is the predominant flavor.
Kimchi can be found in almost every Korean household. It is possible to buy kimchi jars in most supermarkets and online sites. Kimchi offers multiple health benefits and maintains the overall health of the body. It is often recommended to include kimchi in your daily diet.
But if you don't have access to a good slab of pork belly, don't fret! Our second favorite cut of pork for kimchi jjigae and very affordable as well, is pork country ribs. Although not as fatty, country ribs are really flavorful, especially the bone-on country ribs.
Both silken and regular tofu can be found in soft, medium, firm, and extra-firm consistencies. They are made with the same ingredients, but they are processed slightly differently and are not interchangeable in a recipe.
With exception of the fattiness of the pork belly, this spicy tofu soup is very good for you. Kimchi packs lots of vitamins and minerals in addition to the great probiotics! Tofu has lots of protein and is low fat, and the remaining ingredients are good for you as long as you're not on a low sodium diet.
Along with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, kimchi contains natural probiotic bacteria. If you eat them regularly, the probiotics in fermented foods can be beneficial to your gut microbiome. Studies suggest that eating kimchi on a daily basis could help to improve some digestive problems.
It will continue to ferment at a cool temperature. If kimchi over-ferments, it will have a very vinegary odor and taste. It is not pleasant to eat raw, so it is often used for soups and stews. If any fermentation gets soft and slimy, then it is a sign of spoilage.
Kimchi is a healthy food because it provides beneficial bacteria. It helps balance your gastrointestinal tract by providing probiotics, cleansing digestive routes, and helping with digestion. The high-fibre content in kimchi also helps to detoxify the body.
The main ingredient in kimchi jjigae is kimchi, hence the name 'kimchi stew'. In soondubu jjigae, however, the main ingredient is the soft and silky tofu, hence the name 'extra soft tofu stew'. In terms of flavor, soondubu jjigae has a more delicate flavor than kimchi jjigae.
Kimchi jjigae is a kimchi-based stew served with blocks of firm tofu, and, usually, small pieces of pork, whether pork belly or pork shoulder. On the other hand, soondubu jjigae, or sundubu jjigae, is a soft tofu stew, made by simmering silken tofu, assorted vegetables, and chopped kimchi in a spicy broth.
Kimchi stew is thicker than kimchi soup. Kimchi soup is less salty than kimchi stew. Also, soup is always served in individual bowls, with rice. Traditionally in Korean cuisine stews were served in a big pot on the table, and the family would eat communally from the pot.
Thicker and saltier than soup, jjigae contains more solid ingredients than guk. The ratio of liquid to solid ingredients is around 4:6. Unlike guk, the key component of jjigae is the solid ingredients such as vegetables, tofu, fish or meat. It is common practice for families to share a pot of jjigae.
Jjigae, on the other hand, is defined by a potent and complex flavor profile; diluting it with rice before your first bite is just a waste of a good jjigae. The only way to get the most out of it is to get the full blast of flavor in one spoonful, then soak up the powerful aftertaste with a bite of rice.
Kimchi is a fermented food, so it contains healthy probiotics, such as the same lactic acid bacteria found in yogurt and other fermented dairy products. Research suggests that regularly eating fermented foods, including kimchi, may lower inflammation.
The main ingredient in kimchi jjigae is kimchi, hence the name 'kimchi stew'. In soondubu jjigae, however, the main ingredient is the soft and silky tofu, hence the name 'extra soft tofu stew'. In terms of flavor, soondubu jjigae has a more delicate flavor than kimchi jjigae.
As a result, kimchi-jjigae is often cooked using older, more fermented, and "riper" kimchi, which has a much more pronounced flavor and contains higher amounts of probiotics. (Living bacteria in fresh, uncooked kimchi will not survive the cooking process.)
Kimchi soup, called jjigae, is a satisfying example. The fermented kimchi vegetables quickly provide deep flavor to the broth, so the soup can be produced in little more than half an hour.
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