My comfort food, Kimchi Jjigae

Kimchi Jjigae ( kimchi stew)



Kimchi stew ( kimchi Jjigae) is another dish using old fermented kimchi dish specially during cold winter. This is one of my favourite my winter, heart warming comfort food.
As same as Kimchi pancake this needs well fermented kimchi,  a clever way using,  too fermented kimchi in every Korean household.
However kimchi jjigae become very popular tasty dish its own merit. Often I ferment kimchi quickly to make kimchi jjigae not only winter, also spring as well.

Kimchi stew and hot steamed rice , Winter watery radish kimchi are perfect match, hot and cold spicy, mild , they are very modern way of enjoying the taste buds, but they are very old Korean way of eating habit. I may say our ancestors are rather adventurous, it is all based on our ying yang philosophy in life.

Best one is made with pork bone ( Knee bone) but they are difficult to get in UK , I often use pork rib, cut 2-3cm or just with dry anchovy this makes very clean taste.

Ingredients:  fermented kimchi ( 1/4 cabbage kimchi), 1 pork rib, 1 onion, garlic ( grated) 2 tsp, ginger 1tsp,  tofu, spring onion ( chopped),  Korean chilli flake ( gochugaru),  1tsp Korean bean paste. ( doengang). oil ( sun flower or rape seed oil), water,
1 red and green chilli ( chopped thinly)

1. Take out kimchi stuffing and chopped as bite size ( 2cm) , ask butcher cut pork rib 3cm small. get rid of excessive fat and set aside. Slice onion thinly .
2. Heat oil in a pan, fry onion add pork , kimchi and cook 2-3 minutes add water about 750ml. boil first and reduce heat. add bean paste and garlic and ginger.
3. when stew is simmer, add chilli flake as much you like ( about 1tbsp) season light soy sauce ( 1 tbsp) . Stew taste just a little saltier than soup , because stew is eaten with rice.
4. Add cut tofu simmer another 20minutes,  add spring onion and chopped chilli on the top.
Serve with rice , other side dishes ( banchan).

Hint;   kimchi stew served in brown earth ware ( you can buy at Korean shop)

NOTE: Korean cookery in March. 14th, 21st,28th.
Email; kiejosarsfield@hotmail.co.uk