Kimchi jjigae

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Kimchi jjigae

Korean name

Hangul	김치찌개
Revised Romanization	gimchi jjigae
McCune-Reischauer	kimch'i tchigae

Kimchi jjigae (pronounced [kimʨʰi ʨigɛ]) is a spicy stew-like dish cooked and served boiling hot in a stone pot. Widely available in Korea, it contains kimchi as well as other ingredients such as green onion, onion, tofu, pork, and seafood, although pork and seafood are generally not used in the same recipe. Like many other Korean dishes kimchi jjiggae is usually eaten communally from the center of the table if more than two people order it. It is accompanied by various banchan (side dishes) and rice.

Kimchi jjigae is often cooked in Korean homes using older, more fermented, kimchi, creating a much stronger taste and containing higher amounts of "good" bacteria also found in yogurt. The stew is said to be more flavorful if prepared with older kimchi, while fresh kimchi might make the taste less desirable.

1 Recipe
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Recipe

Bacon kimchi jjigae

Using the most fermented (oldest) Kimchi will allow the soup to have the richer "kimchi" taste that so many Koreans enjoy. The most essential ingredients to creating Kimchi jjigae are the following:

Kimchi
Tofu (Soft or Firm is up to the preference of the cook)
Green Pepper
Minced Garlic

To make an even tastier Kimchi jjigae, additional ingredients may be added. Some variations and suggestions are the following:

Korean Bacon (also called "sam gyup sahl")
Onions
Thinly sliced Zucchini
Chicken Broth (in place of water, when creating the soup)
Sliced Mushrooms

Optional, but popular additions:

Spam
Tuna

First one should boil the water (or chicken broth) in a small pot with the amount of kimchi depending on the amount desired. To create the richest heat, cooking at a low heat for longer period time will extract the kimchi taste much more efficiently. After the soup has become richer, one can add chopped, green peppers, onions, zucchini, and any other vegetables desired. After the soup and vegetables have come to a boil, drop pieces of chopped sam gyup sahl into the pot. You do not want to overcook your meat because then it will become tough and dry, rather than juicy. However, be sure to cook long enough to extract the pork flavor into the soup. Finally, add chopped pieces of tofu over the top of your soup so that the steam cooks the tofu, but not so much that the tofu becomes hard. Enjoy with steamed rice!