''Kimchi-jjigae'' * () or kimchi stew is a ''

jjigae ''Jjigae'' (Korean: 찌개, ) is a Korean stew. There are many varieties; it is typically made with meat, seafood or vegetables in a broth seasoned with ''gochujang'' (red chilli paste), ''doenjang'' (soy bean paste), ''ganjang'' (soy sauce) or ...

'', or

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables a ...

-like Korean dish, made with ''

kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...

'' and other ingredients, such as

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved ...

seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...

scallion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus '' Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, c ...

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the on ...

s, and diced

tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super f ...

. It is one of the most common stews in Korean cuisine.

History

''Kimchi'' existed as a non-spicy pickled vegetable dish well prior to the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

era; it was not until the introduction of chili peppers to the Korean peninsula mid-era that the variant of ''kimchi'' which has become the ''de facto'' standard of today was created. ''Kimchi jjigae'' is assumed to have developed around this time as well.Kimchi jjigae
at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture

Preparation and serving

Kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...

's flavor as an ingredient becomes stronger and more complex as it ages. As a result, ''kimchi jjigae'' is often cooked using older, more fermented, and "riper" ''kimchi'', which has a much more pronounced flavor and contains higher amounts of

probiotic Probiotics are live microorganisms promoted with claims that they provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the gut microbiota. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria-host i ...

s. (Living bacteria in fresh, uncooked ''kimchi'' will not survive the cooking process.) As ''kimchi'' is the core ingredient in ''kimchi jjigae'', other ingredients are dependent on personal preference. Sliced ''kimchi'' is put into a pot with the meat of choice and other typical ingredients such as

, sliced spring onions, and garlic. They are stewed in water or

anchovy An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

(''myeolchi'') stock. The stew is seasoned with fermented bean paste (''

doenjang ''Doenjang'' * (; "thick sauce") or soybean paste is a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine. It is also a byproduct of soup soy sauce production. It is sometimes used as a relish. History The earliest soybean fer ...

'') or fermented red pepper paste (''

gochujang ''Gochujang'' (, from Korean: , ) or red chili paste * is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from gochu-garu (chili powder), glutinous rice, '' meju'' (fermented soybean) powder, ''yeotgir ...

''). Like many other Korean dishes, ''kimchi jjigae'' is usually eaten communally from the center of the table if more than two people are served. It is accompanied by traditional side dishes (''

banchan ''Banchan'' (, from Korean: ) or bansang are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish o ...

'') and rice. It is usually cooked and served boiling hot in a stone pot.

Varieties

Beyond the standard ingredients of beef, pork, or chicken, some varieties are called by their particular names. *''Chamchi kimchi jjigae'' (참치 김치찌개) is made with tuna, usually the canned type made specifically to use in ''jjigae''. It is popular for camping trips or picnics, because of its ease of cooking and portability. *''Ggongchi kimchi jjigae'' (꽁치 김치찌개) is made with

Pacific saury The Pacific saury (''Cololabis saira'') is a member of the family Scomberesocidae. Saury is a seafood in several East Asian cuisines and is also known by the name mackerel pike. Biology Saury is a fish with a small mouth, an elongated body, ...

. *'' Budae jjigae'' (부대찌개) is made by stewing kimchi with various ingredients not native to Korean cuisine, including Spam, hot dogs, American cheese slices, etc. ''Budae'' means “army base” in Korean; it originated during the Korean War, when South Koreans used ingredients procured from the US military.

References

External links

Gimchi-jjigae - Official Seoul City Tourism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimchi Jjigae Korean words and phrases Korean soups and stews

History

Preparation and serving

Varieties

See also

References

External links