Kimchi Jjigae
Sour, overripe kimchi fried in sesame oil before any liquid goes near it, then simmered hard with tofu into a scarlet stew.
- Prep
- 10m
- Cook
- 30m
- Total
- 40m
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Easy
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 400 g | Fry the kimchi in sesame oil until the edges brown 8m Five minutes minimum. Frying converts the raw sourness into something deep and slightly sweet. | Add stock and kimchi brine, boil hard for 15 minutes 18m A rolling boil, not a gentle one. It is what pulls the stew together into something thick. | Lay the tofu on top, simmer 5 minutes, scatter with spring onion 6m Lay it on, do not stir it in. Tofu slabs break up if you push them around. | |
| 2 tbsp | ||||
| 1 tbsp | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 4 cloves | ||||
| 100 ml | ||||
| 700 ml | ||||
| 1 tbsp | ||||
| 1 tbsp | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 1 tsp | ||||
| 150 g | ||||
| 400 g | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 100 g | ||||
-
Fry the kimchi in sesame oil until the edges brown
8m- sour kimchi 400 g
- toasted sesame oil 2 tbsp
- neutral oil 1 tbsp
- onion 1
- garlic 4 cloves
Five minutes minimum. Frying converts the raw sourness into something deep and slightly sweet.
-
Add stock and kimchi brine, boil hard for 15 minutes
18m- from 1 Fry the kimchi in sesame oil until the edges brown
- kimchi brine 100 ml
- mushroom or kombu stock 700 ml
- gochugaru 1 tbsp
- gochujang 1 tbsp
- doenjang 1 tsp
- sugar 1 tsp
- shiitake mushrooms 150 g
A rolling boil, not a gentle one. It is what pulls the stew together into something thick.
-
Lay the tofu on top, simmer 5 minutes, scatter with spring onion
6m- from 2 Add stock and kimchi brine, boil hard for 15 minutes
- firm tofu 400 g
- spring onions 3
- enoki mushrooms (optional) 100 g
Lay it on, do not stir it in. Tofu slabs break up if you push them around.
Why old kimchi is better
Fresh kimchi is crunchy and mildly tangy; left for a month or two the lactobacillus keeps working, the pH drops, and it turns properly sour and soft. That acidity is what a jjigae is built on, and it also breaks down the cabbage enough that it melts into the broth rather than sitting in it. Frying it in sesame oil before adding liquid is the second half: heat drives off some of the volatile sharpness and browns the sugars, so the finished stew tastes round rather than aggressively acidic.
Notes
- Most commercial kimchi contains salted shrimp or anchovy. Vegan kimchi is widely sold and works identically here.
- If your kimchi is young, add a splash of rice vinegar with the stock. It will not be quite the same, but it gets you closer.
- Boil it harder than feels right. A timid simmer leaves a thin, separated broth instead of a stew.