Kimchi Jjigae (김치찌개) — Korean Kimchi Stew

• 1000 mlwater
• 20 glarge dried anchovies (heads and guts removed)
• 10 gdashima kelp
• 300 gpork belly (sliced 5 mm thick)
• 600 gwell-fermented napa cabbage kimchi (cut into bite-size pieces)
• 120 mlkimchi brine
• 300 gfirm tofu (cut into 2 cm slabs)
• 150 gyellow onion (thinly sliced)
• 3scallions (cut on the diagonal into 4 cm lengths)
• 4 clovegarlic (minced)
• 1 tbsptoasted sesame oil
• 2 tbspgochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
• 1 tbspgochujang (Korean fermented red pepper paste)
• 1 tbspKorean soup soy sauce
• 2 tspfish sauce
• 1 tspgranulated sugar
• 0.5 tspground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the anchovy-kelp broth first. Combine the water, dried anchovies, and dashima kelp in a medium pot, bring to a gentle simmer, remove the kelp after 10 minutes, then simmer the anchovies for 10 more minutes and strain the broth.

2. 2

   Heat a heavy 2.5 l pot or Korean earthenware ttukbaegi over medium heat and add the toasted sesame oil. Add the pork belly and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the edges lose their raw color and a small amount of fat has rendered.

3. 3

   Add the chopped kimchi, onion, garlic, gochugaru, and gochujang to the pork. Stir-fry for 6 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot, until the kimchi darkens slightly and smells deeply fermented rather than raw.

4. 4

   Pour in 850 ml of the strained anchovy-kelp broth, the kimchi brine, soup soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes so the pork becomes tender and the broth turns red and rounded.

5. 5

   Lay the tofu slabs on top of the stew and spoon some broth over them without breaking them apart. Simmer for 6 minutes, then add the scallions and cook for 2 more minutes until the scallions soften but remain bright.

6. 6

   Taste the finished stew and adjust only by simmering 2 to 3 minutes longer if the broth needs more concentration. Serve it very hot, ideally still bubbling, with steamed short-grain rice and simple banchan.