What do you do with all of that kimchi you’ve made? Make a kimchi jigae! “Jigae” refers to the class of soups that are a deep red in color, thanks to gochugaru (red pepper flakes) and gochujang (red pepper paste), and are generally considered to be a bit spicy. Use a milder gochugaru to tone it down a bit, or cut the proportions.
Kimchi jigae is best made with well-fermented kimchi. “Fresh,” about 1-2 days old, just doesn’t have the complex flavor needed to pull the dish off. Wait a bit, and it’s worth it. The more sugar or sweetener that is added, the more it will balance out the “sour” of the kimchi.
Classic kimchi jigae includes pork and tofu, sometimes mussels. To get a more vegan jigae, go for the sundubu jigae (soft tofu soup), or swap the pork for a king oyster mushroom or mushroom of choice. Zucchini complements the jigae well, and adds a little more veggie content.
For a leaner jigae, we use either pork tenderloin or pork chops, which is a departure from the classic fattier pork belly cuts. Marinating for about 30 minutes to give it a little flavor, before sauteing and building the soup around it. Rather than silken tofu, we use a firmer tofu that stands up to the cooking. If you have a nice bone broth available, it will develop a richer-flavored soup, but chicken stock, chicken broth, or mushroom or vegetable broth (vegan) will do the trick. Technically anchovy-kelp stock is the preferred Korean base, but is a bit fishier tasting. That’s why this is waygook kimchi jigae.
Serve with a bowl of the rice of your choice!
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the pork marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Saute the pork plus marinade in a large pot until the pork is cooked through.
- Add the kimchi plus juice, and saute.
- Add the stock, salt, sesame oil, zucchini, and green onions and cover, simmering over medium-high heat.
- Add the tofu, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve with reserved green onion.
