Kimchi Jjigae

Early this fall I got several Korean cookbooks out of the library and copied out a few tasty looking recipes. One of my favorite cookbooks is called The Kimchi Chronicles, which it turns out is also a show on PBS! I am particularly excited because I made a (double) batch of kimchi last month, and I have 4 jars to use in some new recipes.

The show and the food look amazing, as you can see in the clip below. This clip includes the kimchi jjigae, as well as another kimchi soup with seaweed in it (I happened to copy that recipe out before returning the library book too). I love PBS. There are several recipes on the site, including the Kimchi Jjigae that I modified slightly, below, as well as a Grilled Steak with Kimchi Butter that I want to make soon.

 

This soup tasted AMAZING, and it is super simple. The seaweed "garnish" is really good - I ended up using twice as much because it was such a nice taste combo. My soup ended up being a bit too salty due to my lack of salt calculation for bacon vs. pork belly + my extra salty kimchi, so I added in some chicken broth. That was great too and made a slightly thinner soup.

 

From the Kimchi Chronicles

Kimchi Jjiage:

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 pound bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cups coarsely chopped kimchi with a bit of its liquid (use the most pungent, sour kimchi available)
• 1 t. anchovy paste due to my gluten intolerance
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• About 1/2 cup thinly sliced nori for garnish

Heat the sesame oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pork belly/bacon, season with pepper, and cook, stirring now and then, until rendered, browned, and crispy, about 10 minutes.

Add the onion and kimchi and stir to combine. Add enough water to nearly cover the pork mixture (5 or 6 cups), cover, and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer until the onion and kimchi are softened and the soup is quite thick, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the anchovy paste and scallions. If it’s too thick for your liking, thin the stew with water or broth. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes to combine the flavors. Serve steaming hot sprinkled with gim/nori.