Korean kimchi jjigae stew with pork belly and tofu

Ingredients

• 300 g pork belly, sliced
• 300 g aged napa kimchi, chopped (with juice)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tsp gochugaru
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 anchovy stock cube (or 600 ml anchovy stock)
• 600 ml water
• 200 g silken or soft tofu, cubed
• 2 spring onions, sliced

Method

1. Render pork. Heat a clay pot or heavy pot. Add pork belly. Render 3-4 minutes until fat releases and edges crisp.
2. Kimchi. Add kimchi (with juice) and onion. Fry 5 minutes until everything softens and smells amazing.
3. Sauce. Stir in garlic, gochujang, gochugaru, soy. Fry 1 minute.
4. Simmer. Add stock cube and water. Bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes.
5. Tofu. Drop in tofu cubes. Simmer gently 5 more minutes — don’t break them up.
6. Finish. Scatter spring onions. Serve in the pot, bubbling, with rice.

Tips

• Use aged kimchi — 3+ weeks. Fresh kimchi = watery, bland stew.
• Fry the kimchi in pork fat first. Deepens the flavour enormously.
• Bring to the table still bubbling. Jjigae is best eaten straight from the pot.