Pork kimchi JjiGae (돼지고기 김치찌개) is the most popular kind of kimchi soup in Korea. The well-fermented kimchi, tender pork, and savory broth taste very delicious. I can easily eat a bowl of cooked rice with this soup without the need for any other side dishes. If you are looking for food using kimchi, you have to try this recipe. 😉
Yield: 4 Servings
Short Korean Lesson
- Ap (앞) = Front
- Dui (뒤) = Behind
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- 2 Generous Cups Well Fermented Kimchi (1 lb)
- 2 Cups Water
- ½ Pack Tofu
- ¼ Cup Kimchi Broth
- ½ Cup Green Onions
- ⅛ Cup Red Hot Pepper (Optional)
- 1 Tbsp Hot Pepper Powder
- ½ Tbsp Sesame Oil
- ½ Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1 tsp Garlic, Minced
- ¼ tsp Salt
Pork Ingredients
- 1 Cup Pork (½ lb)
- 1 tsp Garlic, Minced
- 1 tsp Cooking Wine (Optional)
- 2 Pinches Salt
- 2 Pinches Black Pepper
Directions
Chop 1 cup of pork it into bite-sized pieces. I used the chump end for this recipe, but you can try any cut of pork that you like, depending on how much fat you want in your soup.
Combine all the ingredients for the pork together-1 tsp Minced Garlic, 1 tsp Cooking Wine (Optional), 2 Pinches Salt, 2 Pinches Black Pepper. Marinate for about 10 minutes while you are preparing the other ingredients.
Obtain about 2 generous cups of well-fermented kimchi and chop it into ½-inch pieces. It is important to use good kimchi for delicious kimchi soup.
Slice ½ pack of tofu into ¼-inch slices. Cut ½ cup worth of green onions into ½-inch lengths. Cut ⅛ cup worth of red hot pepper thinly. If you do not want very spicy soup, skip the hot peppers.
Obtain ¼ cup of kimchi broth. Kimchi broth (a.k.a. “kimchi juice”) is the liquid from your jar of kimchi. If you do not have enough kimchi juice, add more kimchi, hot pepper powder, and water for this recipe.
Fry the marinated pork with ½ Tbsp of sesame oil in a heated pan on medium-high for about 3 minutes.
About 3 minutes later, the pork will lose its pink color. Then add the chopped kimchi, 1 Tbsp of hot pepper powder, and ½ Tbsp of cooking oil. Fry for another 3 minutes on medium-high.
Add 2 cups of water and ¼ cup of kimchi broth. Once it starts to boil, add 1 tsp of minced garlic and ¼ tsp of salt. Depending on the saltiness of your kimchi, adjust the salt amount for this recipe. Cook covered for about 10 minutes on medium-high.
Place the sliced tofu on top of the kimchi and cook covered for another 5 minutes. Occasionally pour some of the soup over the tofu so that the tofu will get good flavor.
Add the chopped green onions and hot peppers. Cook covered for 2 minutes and then turn off the heat.
The weather is getting cooler and this soup is perfect for the coming chilly days. If you don’t like pork, or can’t eat it, you can try my tuna kimchi jjigae recipe. Try this someday. 🙂
Hi, I wanted to leave a comment for the contest, but it said the comments are closed. What should I do??
Hi Lauren,
Oh the contest is not closed.. maybe you thought it because the comment was closed in that post. The reason was.. the contest is available on youtube ..so I announced it here but closed the comment. If you enter to the contest, please leave a comment on Youtube post.
Here is a link for you just in case. ^^ Thanks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md4sfY0hfRI&list=UUag1J9y5uP_1WrwrDHFTbvg&index=2&feature=plcp
Thank you so much For This amazing recipe!! So. Delicious and easy to follow!
Thank you ^^
Hello sis!
Im so thankful for your site i learned how to cook several korean cuisine.
I noticed you dont have my favorite korean soup “gamjatang”?
Can i request for the video? This would be an early xmas present from you. Hehe. ;p
Thanks a lot. More power and blessings to come!
Hi Abby,
Oops, I couldn’t post your request on Christmas but I will add it to my list and make it someday. thanks 🙂
Hello, is there a vegetarian recipe for kimchi jjigae?
Thanks!
Not yet..but I will post it someday. thanks ^^
Awesome recipe! Tried this out the other day and it was a huge success with the boyfriend. Thanks for this!
Can I replace napa cabbage kimchi to radish kimchi?
You can do that. 🙂 Just make sure that your radish kimchi is well fermented.
I was cleaning out the refrigerator and found an old jar of opened kimchi. Have never made kimchi jigae but eat it often at local place. Found your terrific technique and the rest is, well, lunch! Thanks so much – love your site.
Hi Terry,
Great choice for using up old kimchi. 🙂 Thanks for your comment.
Hi Aeri, Love your youtube videos and found out your blog lately while searching on Kimchi Stew Recipe… heheh.. Had tried cooking this stew yesterday and it was awesome! Me, my parents and even my nephew love it!!! Thank you so much for your awesome recipe. I always want to learn more about Korea culture, language, food and even wants to have a Korean friend but it seem very difficult.. hahah… I LOVE SOUTH KOREA! And not forgetting your sons, they are sooooo cuteeeee, specially when they are speaking in Korean language!! YOU ARE SURE A AWESOME MOTHER THAT YOU REALLY KNOW HOW TO COOK SO MUCH!! 화이팅! 😉
hi Katie 이영,
I enjoyed reading your cheerful message. I can feel that you are a very fun..cute bright girl..hehe.. Hope you do not lose your love of Korea.. hehe thanks.. Please come back and leave your bright cheerful comment sometimes.. thanks
Hi Aeri, thanks so much for the awesome and yummy recipe. I followed your instructions and whipped up the jjigae and my family loved it a lot! It was my first attempt cooking a Korean dish and it actually turned out well. This dish definitely gave me motivation to attempt more recipes that you have on the website. Thanks for sharing your delicious home cooked Korean food recipes 🙂
hi Elaine,
Your comment give me motivation to make more recipes too. 🙂 Thank you. Please try more Korean recipes and share your experiences with us. The more you try to cook them.. the faster you will master them. ^^
Hi Aeri, i’m sure you’ve heard it a million times by now, but i just have to say it still: your recipe is really simple and delicious to make! it means so much to me to find your recipe because i just settled down in the US and crave good asian food so much! it also helps that this dish is so healthy that even a pregnant and diabetic woman can eat it every day! 🙂 Thank you!!
hi chiyo,
Nice to meet you. Thank you for your sweet comment. Hope your life in USA is happy. 🙂
I want to make this for my Korean boyfriend, but he is away a lot and I never know when he can visit until the last minute; it makes it hard to buy the ingredients. I was thinking about making a batch of Jiggae and freezing it to heat up later… I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried this and how it would taste. Also, how would you recommend I reheat it?
hi Erin,
I think…it’s always the best to eat food right after you cooked…but your case, if you have to freeze them… I recommend you skip some of the ingredients to cook for later..such as rice cakes and ramen noodles.. green onions.. since their texture will not be pleasant to eat when you cook.. freeze and reheat.. Thanks
I’ve been trying to expand my food awareness by trying out new cuisines, so a friend recommended for me to try making this since I said I like kimchi a lot(never made anything with it though only local spots). He knew how to make it but the measurements not so sure, I searched all over and nothing close to what he said until I found this. I tried it immediately, and this blew my mind. It’s was so delicious, and convenient now that it’s getting so cold. I appreciate it! It inspired me to look into what other recipes you have and explore Korean cuisine also.
Thank you!! ^^
hi Valerie,
You did a great job making this Korean soup. I’m very proud of you. ^^ Hehe..thanks for trying my recipe. Please try more recipes and share your experiences with us. Thanks
Aeri Lee, Thank you for showing us how to make this Pork Kimchi JjiGae.
I like Kimchi a lot but I was always kind of on the fence about boiling it. I was afraid it would weaken the taste so I never tried it. I tried this Pork Kimchi JjiGae recipe step by step in your video and Oh My! I can’t believe I have been missing soups and stews made of Kimchi. You should is the best soup I have ever tasted. This soup is going to be my go to comfort food. Thank so much for posting this video. As usual, you’re the greatest.
hi Drbra,
Wow, what a compliment you give to me with your comment. Thank you very much. Somebody try my recipe and loves the dish. that’s what I want to the most from my work. Thank you very much. 🙂
Hi Aeri,
I am from Turkey,and my husband is Chinese but we love Korean food!And your recepies are just wonderful!I would like to ask something,can I use beef instead of pork?Because its almost impossible to find pork here:(
Thanks
hi Nesli Xu,
Yes, you can use beef too.. it will taste better if it has some fat.. thanks 😉
Hi Aeri!
Thank you so much for posting korean food recipes that can be replicated in the US! I’m currently studying in the US, and have not had easy access to great korean food which has really been painful. But your recipes make it easy to replicate all the food I miss from back home, which really lessens the homesickness I have been feeling. Please keep up the good work!
hi Jihye Yang,
I can totally understand how you feel about homesick since I’m living in America too. I’m so happy that my recipes are helpful for you little bit.. Please cheer up and study hard. I wish you the best luck for your school life in America. Aja aja fighting !!! Please stop by and greet to me sometimes. 🙂
Hi! I love your blog and videos!
Kimchi Stew is the first Korean food I ever tasted and it is still my favorite. I like the make it with potatoes instead of tofu for breakfast and poach an egg in it at the end. Sometimes I even add American cheese to make it creamy at the end. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe.
Hi,
Nice to meet you. You are a Kimchi stew mater. hehe Hope to see your comments again. Thanks