Recipe · Stews
Kimchi stew with pork and tofu
김치찌개 kimchi jjigae is where sour kimchi goes: fried with pork, simmered in a red broth and finished with tofu. One pot, about 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Stew
- 2 cups sour napa kimchi, cut into bite-size pieces, plus ¼ cup of its juice
- 8 oz pork belly or shoulder, sliced thin
- ½ onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp Taekyung gochugaru, fine
- 1 tbsp gochujang (optional)
- 1 tsp sugar, if the kimchi is very sour
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or fish sauce
- 2½ cups water or anchovy stock
To finish
- 8 oz firm or medium tofu, cut into ½-inch slices
- 2 scallions, cut on the diagonal
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (optional)
Taekyung gochugaru, fine4.7 out of 5 stars, 2,464 ratings on Amazon
Buy Fine 1 lb on AmazonFine 1 lb: $12.90 on Amazon.com on Oct 30, 2026. All sizes, flake or fine
Method
Brown the pork
Cook the pork in a pot over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the fat runs and the edges brown.
Fry the kimchi
Add the kimchi, onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Sour kimchi turns sweeter as it fries.
Add the gochugaru
Stir in the gochugaru and the gochujang and cook for 30 seconds. Keep it moving, so it doesn't burn.
Simmer
Pour in the water or stock, the kimchi juice, the soy sauce and the sugar. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the tofu
Lay the tofu on top and simmer for 5 minutes more. Taste, and add soy sauce if it needs salt.
Serve
Scatter the scallions on top, add a few drops of sesame oil, and bring the pot to the table with rice.
Made the napa kimchi?
Once your jar is three weeks old or more and tastes sour, it's ready for this stew.
Without pork
Use a can of tuna, drained, or a handful of mushrooms.
New to gochugaru? Read the guide
Ready to cook?
This recipe uses the fine cut. You check out on Amazon.
Buy Fine 1 lb on AmazonFine 1 lb: $12.90 on Amazon.com on Oct 30, 2026.