Weekly Recipe: Kimchi Stew By Baekjeong KBBQ

Fermented foods are some of the most powerful ingredients for your health, packed with anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and probiotic benefits that boost your microbiome and your brain. Beyond that, though, they just taste really good!

If you’re looking to get more fermented food in your diet, kimchi is an absolute win, and this recipe for kimchi stew from chef Samuel Kim of Baekjeong KBBQ is a great way to add the Korean national dish to your rotation, turning it into a full meal.

See also: Weekly Recipe: Nubiani Korean BBQ Steak By Chef Ji Hye Kim

Baekjeong KBBQ boasts locations across the country, from Los Angeles and Washington state to New York City. The wide array of meats is of course a main attraction, but so is this delicious and nutritious staple of Korean cooking.

“Kimchi stew is a product of the resourcefulness of Korean cooking,” chef Kim says. “While kimchi is a fermented cabbage side dish enjoyed at every dining table in Korea, kimchi over time continues to age and become increasingly pungent in its lacto fermentation. Once kimchi has aged considerably, it is no longer enjoyable to eat as banchan at the table. Not wanting to throw away precious food, Korean cooks developed a dish to enjoy kimchi in its mature stages. By cooking the aged kimchi, the pungency and sharpness of the fermentation is greatly reduced and becomes something very savory and delicious. At a traditional Korean table, a soup or stew is always present during the meal. With kimchi being the national dish of Korea, this stew is ubiquitously served at all Korean dining tables.”

This recipe calls for mixing the kimchi cabbage with fresh pork belly, Korean red chili pepper flakes, bone broth, tofu and other delights to create a flavorful and nutrient-dense mixture that is sure to please.

Kimchi Jjigae

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups drained fermented napa cabbage kimchi (cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 4 ounces fresh pork belly
• 3 tsp gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• ½ cup juice from kimchi
• 1 cup bone broth (beef or pork)
• 6 ounces tofu
• 2 scallions (separated into whites and greens)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Drain kimchi over a strainer of juice. Reserve juice for later. The older the kimchi, the better – a more fully fermented kimchi will create a more flavorful stew.
2. Cut kimchi into bite-size pieces (1-inch).
3. Using cooking oil, saute the whites of the scallions. Add in the gochugaru and cook until a dark red color is achieved. Add in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add in kimchi and saute for 8 minutes. Add in pork belly and continue cooking until pork belly is cooked through.
5. Once the pork belly has been cooked through, add in kimchi juice, and cook until reduced by half.
6. Add in bone broth and tofu. Cook for 10 minutes with the lid on.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Garnish the stew with the green part of the scallions.

Visit Baekjeong KBBQ at its various locations across the country and online for more delicious dishes and inspiration.