Pork Kimchi Jjigae: Try Cooking It This Way - Shimbangol Jubu's Golden Recipe for Kimchi Jjigae

Ingredients−3servings+

• Pork shoulder butt500g
• Rice water1L
• Kimchi1/4 head
• Firm tofu1 block
• Onion1
• Green onion1 stalk
• Ginger syrup (or mirin)1 tablespoon
• gochujang1 tablespoon
• Minced garlic1 tablespoon
• Roasted salt1.5 teaspoons
• gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1.5 tablespoons
• Kimchi juice1.5 ladles
• perilla oil1 tablespoon (including 1/2 tablespoon for stir-frying)
• Black peppera pinch

Directions▶ Start cooking

1. Slice the onion and green onion into appropriate sizes, and cut the kimchi and tofu into slightly larger pieces.
2. In a pot, add the pork, 1/2 tablespoon perilla oil, a pinch of black pepper, and 1 tablespoon ginger syrup (or mirin), and stir-fry for 1 minute.⏱ 1m
3. After stir-frying the meat for about 30 seconds, add the sliced onion and stir-fry for 1 more minute.
4. Add the sliced kimchi and 1 tablespoon gochujang, and stir-fry for 1 minute 30 seconds more.⏱ 1m
5. Once sufficiently stir-fried, pour in 1L rice water and bring to a boil over medium to high heat for about 4 minutes.⏱ 4m
6. When the jjigae boils, neatly skim off the foam that rises to the top.
7. Add 1.5 tablespoons gochugaru and 1.5 ladles kimchi juice, and boil for about 30 seconds more.
8. Add 1.5 teaspoons roasted salt to season to your taste.
9. After seasoning, add the coarsely cut tofu.
10. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and boil for about 1 more minute.
11. Finally, add the sliced green onion and boil for approximately 1 more minute to finish.

Tips

• When stir-frying the meat, adding ginger syrup or mirin and black pepper beforehand can effectively remove the gamey odor of pork.
• The process of adding ingredients one by one and stir-frying them in sequence is the secret to adding depth to the flavor.
• Using rice water instead of plain water makes the jjigae taste much smoother and deeper.
• Adding 1 tablespoon gochujang enhances the umami of the jjigae, making it even more delicious.
• To prevent the broth from becoming bland, season the soup with salt to your liking before adding the tofu.

🧑‍🍳 Recipe analysis notes

Supplementary notes from the video analysis. Please check the original video before cooking.

⚠️ Where this goes wrong

• If the pork and kimchi are not stir-fried sufficiently, a deep flavor may not develop, so it's important to adhere to the stir-frying times for each ingredient.
• If you don't skim off the foam that forms when the jjigae boils, the broth may become cloudy.
• If you don't season the soup before adding the tofu, the broth may become bland, so salt seasoning should be completed before adding the tofu.

🔄 Substitutions

• Using 1 tablespoon mirin instead of ginger syrup can help remove the gamey odor of pork.
• You can use plain water instead of rice water, but using rice water makes the jjigae taste smoother and deeper.
• You can adjust the seasoning by adding 1.5 teaspoons regular salt instead of roasted salt.

🎚️ Adjusting the taste

• To make it less spicy, you can reduce the amount of gochugaru and gochujang, or add rice water instead of kimchi juice to adjust the spiciness.
• To make it less salty, reduce the amount of roasted salt, and add more rice water instead of kimchi juice to adjust the seasoning and taste.
• If you prefer less sugar, you can reduce the sweetness by using a small amount of minced ginger or ginger powder instead of ginger syrup.

✔️ Verification notes

• After adding salt, be sure to taste and check if the seasoning is to your personal preference.
• Ensure the kimchi is cooked sufficiently soft to allow a deep flavor to develop.

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