Stews & Soups
Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew with Pork Belly)
Prep
10 min
Cook
40 min
Servings
4
Steps
- 1
Heat the oil in a heavy pot and cook the pork belly until it's no longer pink and starting to brown, 4-5 minutes.
- 2
Add the kimchi and sugar, and sauté together for a few minutes — this softens the kimchi's texture and takes the edge off the sourness.
- 3
Add the onion, kimchi juice, water or stock, gochugaru, and soy sauce.
- 4
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- 5
Simmer at least 40 minutes, until the pork belly is tender and the kimchi has gone soft and deeply flavored.
- 6
Add the tofu in the last 5 minutes, just long enough to heat through without breaking apart.
- 7
Stir in the green onions and serve straight from the pot, still bubbling.
Did you know — Korean culture
Kimchi jjigae exists because Korean cooks refuse to waste kimchi, even the batch that's turned too sour to eat straight from the jar. Kimchi's flavor gets stronger and more complex the longer it ferments — so the jar everyone else would toss is exactly the one a good kimchi jjigae is waiting for.
The kimchi you want for this is the kimchi you'd apologize for serving on its own — too sour, gone soft, sitting at the back of the fridge longer than planned. That's not a problem here. It's the entire point.
Fresh kimchi doesn't have the acidity or depth this stew is built around. Well-fermented kimchi cuts straight through the fattiness of the pork belly, which is exactly why cooks who know what they're doing don't throw out kimchi once it's "too sour" — they wait for a dish like this one.
Cut the pork into big pieces, not bite-sized ones. A long simmer needs something that won't turn to mush before the kimchi's had time to break down and the flavors have merged.
Troubleshooting
Stew tastes flat, not deep? Your kimchi probably wasn't sour enough. This dish doesn't work with young kimchi — if that's all you have, add a splash of vinegar and a longer simmer to compensate.
Pork still tough after 40 minutes? Keep going. Pork belly chunks this size can want closer to an hour before they're properly tender — there's no shortcut on time here.
Too sour, even for this? A pinch more sugar balances it out without losing what makes the dish work. Don't try to mellow it by using less kimchi — that just makes a weaker stew.