* () or kimchi stew is a , or

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been Cooking, cooked in Soup, liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for ...

-like Korean dish, made with

kimchi Kimchi (; ) is a traditional Korean side dish (''banchan'') consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or 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 pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

scallion Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), 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 onion which was classifie ...

s, and diced

tofu or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...

. 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 ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

era (1392–1897); 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. is assumed to have developed around this time as well.Kimchi jjigae
at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture

Preparation and serving

Kimchi Kimchi (; ) is a traditional Korean side dish (''banchan'') consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or 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 that provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the microbiota in the gut. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria– host interactions ...

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 (biology), 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 speci ...

() stock. The stew is seasoned with fermented bean paste () or fermented red pepper paste (). 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 () 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'' () is made with tuna, usually the canned type made specifically to use in . It is popular for camping trips or picnics, because of its ease of cooking and portability. *''Kkongchi'' ''kimchi-jjigae'' () is made with

Pacific saury The Pacific saury (''Cololabis saira'') is species of fish in 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 elongat ...

. *''

Budae-jjigae ''Budae-jjigae'' () is a type of spicy ''jjigae'' (Korean stew) from South Korea that is made with a variety of ingredients, often Canning, canned or Convenience food, processed. Common ingredients include ham, sausage, Spam (food), spam, baked ...

'' () is made by stewing kimchi with various ingredients not native to Korean cuisine, including

Spam Spam most often refers to: * Spam (food), a consumer brand product of canned processed pork of the Hormel Foods Corporation * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ...

, hot dogs, and American cheese slices. means "army base" in Korean; it originated during the Korean War, when South Koreans used ingredients procured from the US military. *Vegan ''kimchi-jjigae'' (비건 김치찌개) is a plant based version of the stew; using ingredients such as kimchi, tofu, mushrooms, and vegetables. As it is a common cuisine it is a great cold weather comfort food.

References

External links

Kimchi Jjigae (Stew)
– Recipe at the official Seoul City tourism website (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kimchi-jjigae Korean words and phrases Korean soups and stews Kimchi dishes

History

Preparation and serving

Varieties

See also

References

External links