Zen's Kimchi Jjigae
By: Joe Mcpherson
Published: Monday, February 22, 2010 - 5:42pm

Ingredients




1/2 pound Pork Belly, sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Onion, sliced
1 tablespoon Ginger, minced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 pound aged Kimchi, roughly chopped
3 cups Water
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 bottle Soju (optional)
Rice Vinegar, to taste (optional)

Salt, to taste

Black Pepper, to taste

Preparation

1 Brown the pork belly in a saucepan 2 Add the onions, ginger and garlic and cook until translucent 3 Add the kimchi with any leftover kimchi juice and cook for one minute 4 Add the water and boil for five minutes 5 Add the sugar and soju 6 Taste and adjust with black pepper, rice vinegar, sugar and salt to reach a balance of savory, sour, salty and sweet 7 Serve with steamed rice

About


After tasting other people’s Kimchi Chigaes and introducing some of my more western preferences, here’s my latest recipe for Kimchi Chigae. Like my chili recipe, it’s constantly evolving.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lbs. Bacon or Samgyeopsal (fresh pork belly), thick sliced, salted or unsalted
1 Onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. Ginger, minced
Handful of Garlic Cloves, smashed and whole
1/2 lbs. Kimchi, preferrably old
2 Tsp. Sugar
Salt to taste (depending if you have salted or unsalted bacon)
Fresh cracked Black Pepper, lots of it
Rice Vinegar (optional)
1/2 bottle of Soju (Korean traditional liquor)
NOTE: You can also substitute a can of tuna for the pork. Not only is it healthy, it’s a surprisingly good tasting alternative. Something magical happens with Chamchi (Tuna) Kimchi Jjigae. It’s sweeter and has good depth.
1. Brown the Bacon in a hot wok. When it is brown, move it to the side.
2. Brown the Onions in the bacon grease.
3. Add the Ginger, Kimchi, and Garlic. Stir fry for a while.
4. Fill the wok with water until it’s covered the ingredients. Boil for five minutes. You will end up with a rich red broth.
5. Add the Sugar and Black Pepper and taste. Adjust the Sugar, Vinegar and Salt until a nice balance of salty, sweet, and sour is achieved. The Kimchi should give it enough sourness, but vinegar should be at the ready just in case.
6. Throw in 1/2 bottle of Soju to give it that extra kick. Drink the rest with due caution.
7. Let it boil for a few more minutes. Serve it hot or boiling (if possible) with steamed rice to balance the strong flavor of the stew.