Photos by ChiHon Kim ()
Whenever I visit my parents in Daegu, my mother always sets aside my favorite fermented cabbage kimchi so I can take back to my place with me. You might think I’m hogging my family’s kimchi, but fortunately for me, I’m the only one in my family who likes it.
While I do enjoy fresh kimchi, I like the fermented version since it is rich in probiotics. Plus, the combination of sour, tangy, salty, and spicy tastes of the fermented kimchi is amazing.
As fresh kimchi starts to ferment, change color and flavor, my mother would take it and make delicious dwaejigogi kimchi jjigae(돼지고기 김치찌개), a spicy pork stew served with rice, for me. This is an easy dish you can easily whip up for a quick dinner. So, next time you have some kimchi left over, try this dwaejigogi kimchi jjigae. I’m sure you and your whole family will love it!
- PREP TIME: 10 mins - COOK TIME: 15 - 20 mins - TOTAL TIME: 30 mins - DIFFICULTY: Easy - SERVINGS: 3 - 4
Ingredients
• 350 – 500g pork shoulder (or pork belly) cut into bite sized pieces • 1 green onion (40g) cut into 1cm thick slices (or thinly & diagonally) • 500g fully fermented kimchi cut into bite sized pieces • 1or 2 tbsp minced garlic • 2 chili peppers cut into 0.5cm thick thinly and diagonally • 1/2 cup juice from kimchi (optional)
• 2 tbsp rice wine or mirin
• 2 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil (or perilla oil / sesame oil)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp gochugaru (chili powder)
• Black pepper
• 3 - 4 cups of anchovy stock (beef broth)
1. Slice the veggies and tofu into bite sizes and set them aside.
2. Over medium heat, add pork, perilla oil, mirin, black pepper into a pot and cook for about 1.5 to 2 minutes
3. Add kimchi into a pot and sauté it for extra three to four minutes.
4. Pour water or broth into a pot. Bring it to a boil, then continue cooking for five minutes over medium high heat.
5. Reduce the heat to medium, add seasoning sauce (soy sauce, sugar, chili powder, minced garlic, etc.)
6. Add tofu and continue cooking for one minute. Then add green onion at the last minute before turning off.
7. Serve with bowl of rice. Bon appetite or 잘 먹겠습니다! (Pronounced: jal meok-ke-sseum-nida)!
