This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
Easy Kimchi Jjigae Recipe
Easy kimchi jjigae is a famous Korean kimchi stew made from kimchi, pork belly slices, and firm tofu with a spicy kick from Gochugaru powder (Korean hot pepper flakes) and Gochujang (Korean red chili paste).
The stew is hot, spicy, and has an umami flavor from the homecooked anchovy kelp stock. It is best served with a bowl of hot steamed rice for lunch or dinner. It’s absolutely delicious and addictive.
Love Korean spicy dishes? This is the perfect recipe to start with.
Why This Recipe Works?
It’s one of the easiest kimchi stew recipes made with only a few essential Korean ingredients. It is perfect for weeknight dinners and also makes the best comfort food gloomy rainy days.
This recipe goes well with a variety of protiens, such as pork, beef, and seafood.
To make a less spicy Korean kimchi jjigae, you may always reduce the amount of Gochugaru and gochujang in the recipe.
Kimchi Jjigae Ingredients
Start with homemade anchovy stock:
- Water
- Dried anchovies
- Dried kelp
Then you will add:
- Oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Kimchi and kimchi juice
- Pork belly
- Green onion
- Gochugaru powder (Korean chili powder)
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
- Sesame oil
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Firm tofu
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
How To Make Kimchi Jjigae?
This homemade easy kimchi jjigae is quick and effortless to prepare and the taste is impressive.
First, prepare anchovy kelp stock in a saucepan. Bring water to a boil, add anchovies and kelp, and cook for 15 minutes to bring out the flavor. Strain the soup into a bowl and discard the solids.
Next, heat a soup pot (or a Korean earthenware pot) with oil on medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic until aromatic, then add kimchi, kimchi juice and pork belly slices. Stir-fry all the ingredients in the pot until the pork is cooked through.
Meanwhile, prepare the kimchi jjigae sauce by combining green onion, gochugaru powder, gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl. Then add to the pot and stir well.
Finally, add the stock and bring it to a boil. Continue cooking the stew for 15 to 20 minutes then add tofu. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes until the tofu is soaked with all the flavors from the stew.
Turn off the heat and serve immediately with chopped green onions on top.
Cooking Tips
- Cook the kimchi stew with a homemade anchovy kelp stock if possible. However, you may also substitute water, store-bought chicken stock, or vegetable stock.
- Use aged, sour kimchi for the best taste.
- Cook the stew with an extra tablespoon of kimchi juice to jazz up the flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make kimchi jjigae vegetarian?
Yes, you may add mushrooms and more chopped onions to the soup instead of pork belly to the stew to make a vegetarian kimchi jjigae.
Is kimchi jjigae healthy?
Yes, this easy kimchi jjigae recipe is healthy and nutritional. Since the stew is cooked with homemade anchovy stock, it contains less sodium than the store-bought ones.
If there is a concern about the fatty pork in the stew, you may substitute the pork belly with a lower fat meat, such as pork shoulder, beef, or seafood.
How Many Calories Per Serving?
This recipe has 562 calories per serving.
For more great recipes like this, sign up for our newsletter. We’ll send daily recipes you’ll love!
Sign up for our newsletter!
Easy Kimchi Jjigae
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 sheet dried kelp
- 8 dried anchovies
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 yellow onion (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup kimchi (chopped (more kimchi juice to taste))
- 1/2 lb (250 grams) pork belly (cut into bite size pieces)
- 3 stalks green onion (sliced into 2-inch pieces)
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru powder (Korean hot pepper flakes)
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 pack firm tofu
- Salt (to taste)
- Ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Prepare the anchovy kelp stock. Remove the heads and guts from the dried anchovies first. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, then add dried anchovies and kelp. Cover and cook the soup over medium heat. Continue simmering for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, strain the broth into a bowl and remove the solids. Set aside.
- Heat a soup pot (or a Korean earthenware pot) with oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes until aromatic.
- Add kimchi, 2 tablespoons of kimchi juice, and pork belly. Stir constantly for 5 minutes until the meat is almost cooked through.
- In a small bowl, combine green onion, gochugaru powder, gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar. Mix well. Stir into the pot.
- Add anchovy kelp stock and bring the soup to a boil. Then, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cut the tofu in half lengthwise and slice into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces. Add tofu, and simmer for 10 minutes until the tofu is soaked with all the flavor from the stew and the pork is cooked through.
- Serve immediately with chopped green onion garnish on top.
Notes
- Cook the kimchi stew with a homemade anchovy kelp stock if possible. However, you may also substitute with water, store-bought chicken stock, or vegetable broth.
- Use aged, sour kimchi for the best taste.
- Cook the stew with an extra tablespoon of kimchi juice to jazz up the flavor.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Delicious and nice