Hearty Kimchi Jjigae (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Meat

01 - 0.4 pounds (180 g) pork belly, skin off, chopped into small chunks

02 - 1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)

03 - A few dashes of ground black pepper

→ Kimchi & Others

04 - 1 cup water

05 - Two small shiitake mushrooms (50 g / 1.4 oz), thin slices, stems discarded

06 - 1/4 small yellow onion (30 g / 1 oz), sliced thin

07 - 5.3 ounces (150 g) tofu, cut into rectangular pieces about 1cm thick or any cut you like

08 - Aged kimchi (3/4 cup, fermented for 2-3 weeks minimum), diced if needed

09 - 1/2 stalk small green onion (5 g / 0.2 oz), cut finely

→ Jjigae Base

10 - 1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean chili paste)

11 - 1 tablespoon Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)

12 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce

13 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced

14 - Some sprinkles of ground black pepper

# Instructions:

01 - In a bowl, mix the pork belly with the mirin and black pepper. Let it sit for roughly 15 minutes.

02 - Fry the kimchi in a pan until it’s tender. You can skip this step if your pot is big enough to handle it directly there.

03 - Arrange the pork slices at the bottom of your pot. Layer the kimchi, tofu, onion, and mushrooms on top. Add the water and distribute the base mix throughout—hold back the green onions for later. (I used a clay pot that holds just over a liter. An 18cm (7-inch) Staub Cocotte works amazingly too, and skips the frying pan step.)

04 - Bring everything to a rolling boil on medium-high heat. Once it’s bubbling, turn it down to medium and let it cook for 10-15 minutes until the pork is fully done. Stir between to ensure the sauce blends into the broth and baste the ingredients with some soup to spread the flavor evenly.

05 - When the meat’s cooked through, add the green onions, gently stir it in, and take it off the heat. Serve it hot with steamed rice and side dishes.

# Notes:

01 - For a deeper flavor, use kimchi that’s been fermenting for at least two to three weeks.

02 - Cooking in clay pots or cocottes locks in heat and can make the flavors come out even better.

03 - For precision: 1 tablespoon equals 15ml, and 1 cup equals 250ml.

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