Dish: Kimchi Jjigae (Korean Pork Kimchi Soup)
Level: Beginner
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Best for: lunch / dinner
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 lbs kimchi
4 pork chops (or 12 oz pork belly)
2 tablespoons Gochujang
1 package of tofu
1 yellow onion
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
5 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 cup water
Cut up pork to thumb-size pieces. Dice onions. Whisk one of the eggs.
Heat up a large pot. Put in kimchi, onion, and pepper flakes. Stir well and leave for 5 minutes.
Add Gochujang, water, and sugar. Stir well. Put in pork, stir well. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.
Add sesame oil and stir well. Slowly add the whisked egg into the mixture while stirring. Let cook for 5 minutes while the egg thickens the broth. Break up the tofu to small crumbles into the pot. Stir gently.
Increase heat to high. When you get a bubbling broth, crack the remaining eggs one at a time into the pot. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Serve with freshly cooked rice.
DO YOU KNOW ...
That Kimchi is named one of world's top 5 healthiest foods by the Health magazine? South Koreans consume more than 40 lbs of kimchi per person per year. It is much loved for its spicy and sour taste. Its high dietary fiber, low calorie, and vitamins are the source of the health credit. Kimchi jjigae or kimchi stew originated in ancient Korean times known to be the Joseon era. The dish is often made with ripe kimchi to heighten its flavor. Instead of pork, beef, chicken, seafood, even canned tuna can be used as substitute. The use of Gochujang (red pepper paste) is the key to this recipe. It can be substituted with Doenjang (bean paste) for a slightly sweeter taste. Kimchi jjigae is often eaten with rice and Banchan (side dishes).
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