Kimchi Jjigae Kimchi Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Combine kimchi, water, sugar, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Stir in pork belly, luncheon meat, and kochujang. Add tofu and mushrooms; stir carefully so you don't break up the tofu. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until kimchi is softened and pork is slightly pink in the center, 20 to 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Cut up vegetables, kimchi and tofu and set aside.
• Rinse meat, cut into thin strips 1-2" long.
• Marinate meat in rice wine with two pinches black pepper for 15 minutes (you can use your stew pot for this).
• Meanwhile, add vegetable oil to pan or wok and cook kimchi on medium-high until done (usually 5-7 minutes). Stir consistently. Kimchi will turn slightly translucent.
• In a separate bowl, combine soup base ingredients and mash together.
• Add vegetables, kimchi, soup base and water to the pot with the meat, leaving out the tofu. Use kimchi juice as part of the water if extracted.
• Bring to a boil; leave on a rolling boil until meat is cooked or about 5 minutes, being careful not to let water boil away.
• Taste soup for adjustments; add water as needed, or make extra soup base if needed.
• As soon as the meat is done, turn the heat down to low, add the tofu slices.
• Stir gently, serve with rice (your mouth will be hot -- I like to use rice that is room-temp!).

Steps:

• Place the ribs and ginger in a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot and cover with cold tap water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook the ribs until they are no longer pink and gray foam collects at the surface, about 5 minutes. Drain the ribs in a colander and rinse under cold tap water. Discard the ginger. Rinse the pot out if it is especially dirty; place the empty pot back on the stove.
• Melt the butter in the pot over low heat and add the gochugaru and garlic. Stir until aromatic, just a few seconds, watching carefully to avoid burning the gochugaru or garlic. Add the kimchi and 2 cups of water and stir to combine. Nestle in the cleaned ribs in a single layer and season the cooking liquid generously with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and gently boil until the kimchi starts to soften, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the onion slices in a single layer over the ribs, tamping them down slightly to dampen them in the porky kimchi juices. Cover the pot again and continue gently boiling until the ribs are cooked through and the onions have released their juices and thinned out the broth slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. These ribs should tear off the bone easily but remain juicy and chewy; they aren't meant to be fall-apart tender.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the fish sauce and maesil cheong, adding more to taste. Season with a final pinch of gochugaru and salt if desired. Top the stew with the watercress, if using, and let it wilt slightly in the residual heat. Serve the pot of kimchi jjigae in the center of the table, family-style, with a ladle and bowls of fresh white rice and a plate for the bones.

Steps:

• Make the anchovy and kelp broth: In a medium pot, combine the water, dried anchovies, and kelp. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Strain the broth and discard the solids. Set the broth aside until ready to use.
• Make the kimchi jjigae: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium pot over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pork belly and cook until the onions soften and the pork is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add the drained, chopped kimchi and cook for 2-3 minutes, until slightly darkened.
• Add the Korean chile flakes, sugar, salt, reserved kimchi juice, and anchovy and kelp broth and stir well to combine.
• Lay the tofu and mushrooms on top of the soup and gently stir to submerge in the broth (do not break up the tofu). Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and season the soup with more salt to taste.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the green onion and sesame oil. Serve with white rice, if desired.
• Enjoy!