Kimchi stew (kimchi-jjigae) is a warm, spicy, delicious Korean dish. This stew is made with kimchi, which is a fermented napa cabbage with hot chili flakes and several other spices. I love kimchi, and Korean food is one of my favorite cuisines. This recipe here is what I call my hispanic, homemade version of kimchi stew, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
🥣 Cooking Time: 1hr
🍲 Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
1lb of pork short ribs (with soft bone) 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 2 minced garlic cloves ¼ cup of julienned onion 5 cups of water 2 teaspoons of soy sauce 3 teaspoons of salt (or more to taste) 3-4 cups of kimchi cut into bite size pieces 3 teaspoons Korean hot pepper flakes (Gochugaru) 1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper paste (Gochujang) 4 scallions 1 package of Enoki mushroom 1 small potato, peeled and cubed 1 zucchini, peeled and diced
Directions
1. In a large pot, heat up sesame oil on medium heat. Sauté the diced onion and garlic until fragrant.
2. Add pork ribs and sear for about 2 minutes. Then, add salt, water and soy sauce and cover the pot with a lid. Allow the meat to simmer for 40-45 minutes. As the meat cooks, use a spoon to clear the broth from any extra foam or extra fat. This will allow us to create meaty broth for our stew, and the meat will be more tender.
3. Once the meat is close to getting tender, proceed to add the hot pepper flakes, and the hot pepper paste. Add the kimchi, and the remaining of the ingredients into the pot. If using tofu, personally I wait to add this at the very end to avoid it from dissolving.
4. Cover the pot with a lid one last time, and cook another 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat. Once done, garnish with more scallions, and serve with a side of steamed rice. Enjoy!
Notes
As I mentioned at the introduction, this is my own homemade version of this amazing dish with ingredients I'm able to find at my local grocery stores. Traditionally kimchi stew is often times made with an anchovy broth, which is prepared in advance.
You can always change the meat of the stew for beef, or even canned tuna. In this case, I used pork since it's the popular version you'll find in most Korean restaurants in the US (and also my favorite!).
Typically, the kimchi stew has thin slices of pork. However, I decided to add more chunky pieces in mine for the sake of preparing a meaty broth. If you rather have thin slices of meat, you can always do so and substitute water for any broth of your choice. Or for a vegetarian/vegan version you can skip the meat altogether and cook the veggies with a good vegetable broth!
If you want to use tofu in your kimchi stew, nowadays you can find this in the majority of supermarkets. They will come in different textures such as soft (silken), regular, firm, or extra firm. I personally prefer regular or firm, since it doesn't easily crumble and the consistency allows the tofu to soak flavor as it cooks.
As for kimchi and Korean hot pepper flakes (Gochugaru), and hot pepper paste (Gochujang), I would recommend you to visit any local Asian markets around your area. If for some reason your local market doesn't carry tofu, or enoki mushrooms, chances are you'll find almost all ingredients here. Based on personal experience, these markets have much fresher produce and ingredients. Plus, it's always good to support local business.
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