Kimchi Jjigae

Kimchi jjigae is the stew of Korean everyday life, born from the happy discovery that aged kimchi is even better cooked than raw. As kimchi ferments, it turns sour and funky, and simmering it with pork and tofu transforms that tang into a deep, warming broth. Every home makes it a little differently, but the constants are the same: kimchi, pork, tofu, and time. It is the pot bubbling on the stove on cold evenings and the thing you crave when you are far from home.

Sour, spicy, and deeply warming

The broth is bright and bracing, sour from the aged kimchi and rich from the pork, with soft cubes of tofu that soak up all the heat. It comes together in one pot in under an hour, which is why it shows up on weeknights and rainy days alike. Serve it bubbling hot with a bowl of rice, and do not be shy about ladling the sauce over every grain. The older the kimchi, the better the stew, so save your sourest jar for this exact pot.

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