Article by Gil "hannaone"
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Image by hannaone: kimchi jjigae

김치 찌개

One of the most common stews in Korea, Kimchi Jjigae is made from older sour kimchi, tofu, and meat or seafood. There are many variations of this dish as each household uses their own favorite ingredients.
Kimchi Jjigae probably appeared in Korea not long after the introduction of chili peppers.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pound fatty pork (pork belly, shoulder, etc)
1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil
1 cup kimchi
2 each green onions
1/2 package firm tofu (16 oz package)
2 each hot green chili peppers
2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean ground red chili pepper)
6 cloves garlic
2 cups unsalted beef or pork broth
1 cup water
salt
pepper

Directions
Pork
Cut the pork into bite size pieces.
Mix the pork and sesame oil.

Kimchi, Green Onion, and Tofu
Cut Kimchi into bite size pieces.
Slice the green onions (with the knife at a 45º angle to the onion stem) into 1 1/2 inch lengths.
Cut the tofu block in half, then slice each half into eight pieces.

Peppers
Remove stems from the peppers and thin slice at an angle.

Garlic
Mince two cloves of garlic.
Cut the other garlic cloves into thirds from top to bottom.

Cook:
Place the meat in a large pot over medium high heat and sauté for 1 minute.
Add gochujang and cook another three minutes, stirring often.
Add the broth, water, and kimchi, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer.
Add the ground chili pepper, tofu, and minced garlic, and cook for about ten to fifteen minutes.
Add sliced peppers, green onion, and salt/pepper to taste, and cook for about 2 minutes.

Final
Remove from heat and serve with steamed white rice and banchan.