KIMCHI JJIGAE

nothing like whipping up a quick kimchi stew to have for lunch. as long as you have a handful of ingredients and a jar of kimchi on standby, you won't go hungry.

ingredients (idk how many servings this is but it does often make great leftovers):

  • 1 cup kimchi, sliced into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 white onion, sliced
  • 1/4 cup kimchi juice
  • 1 1/2 cup stock (i personally love using powdered chicken bouillon i get from my asian market)
  • 3-4 oz protein (canned tuna + spam are secret weapons, but regular meat like pork, beef, or chicken also works great! the first two options are ideal because they taste amazing with kimchi, and you don't have to worry about overcooking the meat.)
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp gochugaru (korean chili flakes)
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil

steps:

1) add oil, protein (if you're not using canned tuna), kimchi, and onion to a medium-sized pot

2) stirfry for a minute, then add sugar. continue to stirfry until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent.

3) add stock and kimchi juice. bring the soup to a boil then reduce to simmer. let it continue to simmer covered for ten minutes.

4) add the gochugaru (and the canned tuna if that's your protein) and let it simmer for another five minutes.

5) enjoy with a bowl of freshly cooked rice! eat the stew separately from the rice, or add the rice to the stew to create a gukbap. eat however you want to enjoy it, but eating it with rice is a must. it's optional, but adding a fried egg over your rice also amplifies the meal.