Photography by Selina S. Lee

KIMCHI JJIGAE (김치찌개) – 2-3 Servings

INGREDIENT
1 ½ cup of fermented/ripen kimchi – recommends Im Soon Ja brand (임순자 익은김치)
½ block of soft tofu for stews (찌개용 두부)
1 cup chopped pork – mix of lean and pork belly
1 tsp preserved shrimp (pn. Saeujeot 새우젓)
1 chopped green onion
1 cup water
½ cup seafood broth – optional (멸치육수)
vegetable oil

PREPARATION
Kimchi should be fully fermented and ripen. It should be soft and bit sour. Newly made kimchi will not give same type of flavor in the stew. / Cut kimchi and pork in good bite size pieces (about 1.5”). / Cut half of tofu block and slice them thin (shown in picture above). You should get 2-3 pieces. / Chop green onion to add before serving.

COOKING INSTRUCTION
1. On high heat skillet, cook mixed pork until it’s almost crispy on the edges. Set it aside on kitchen paper towel to drain oil.
2. In a shallow pot add chopped kimchi with little bit of vegetable oil and saute them until it’s soft and cooked. Add cooked pork and saute a little more to mix.
TIP: You can add little bit of sugar when sauteeing the kimchi if you think kimchi is too sour. Sweetness balances out sourness really well! Also, I love using Korean nickel-silver pots (양은냄비) because it heats and cooks fast!
3. Add water and seafood broth and boil it for about 15 mins by closing the lid. If you are not using the seafood broth, add more water.  I like to add a tsp of preserved shrimp for the extra savory flavor!  NOTE: Seafood broths are usually made with dried kelp, dried anchovies.
4. On lower heat, add tofu and boil it for another 5 mins. Keep pouring the juice from the stew over the tofu to flavor it. Add chopped onions before serving. Don’t forget to serve it with a bowl of rice!