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Home » Food & Lifestyle » Scrumptious Saturday Vol. 22: Spicy Smelly Goodness that is Kimchi Jjigae

Scrumptious Saturday Vol. 22: Spicy Smelly Goodness that is Kimchi Jjigae

January 12, 2013 Paris B 48 Comments

To be fair, smelly would be a matter of perception. Some of us will enjoy the strong, pungent smell and taste of the fermented cabbage that is the popular Korean dish of kimchi 😀 Well in my case, it was an acquired taste. I hated it too the first time I had kimchi. The first time I had kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) I wasn’t impressed and in fact, didn’t quite enjoy it.

But look where I am now, whipping up my own kimchi jjigae at home, and being terribly anti-social while at it! 😀

homemade kimchi jjigae soup

I love having kimchi jjigae at Korean restaurants. Its one of those dishes I always have to order, because I love the spicy, sour, pungent smell and taste of the stew. One day however, I got bitten by the bug to experiment making it at home. I tried it a while ago without too much success but this time, I hoped it would succeed. And it did! 😀

Do you enjoy this dish too? 😀

I looked up a few recipes online and the basic tenet is the same. The primary ingredient that you need is kimchi. Whatever else goes into your soup is up to you!

What you need (feeds 2):

  • 250g Kimchi – well fermented
  • Garlic smashed – as you like it. I put lots
  • Water
  • Soy sauce
  • Gochujang or Korean red pepper paste if you want something spicy
  • Meat, tofu, scallions/spring onions, onions, glass noodles etc to your preference

How to:-

  1. In a pot, heat up a little oil and fry the smashed garlic until fragrant, do not brown.
  2. Add slices of meat and stir fry briefly
  3. Add kimchi. I just put in the whole tub, kimchi, liquid and all
  4. Add a little water to make it a stew or soup, depending on your preference and bring to a boil then turn fire down to simmer
  5. Add a little soy sauce. If your kimchi isn’t very fermented and if you want it more spicy, you can add a tablespoon of gochujang and some chilli flakes. I just go with the gochujang because it makes the flavour more robust.
  6. Simmer until meat is cooked then serve hot with rice.

There is no right or wrong way to do it, I realised from reading the recipes. It just depends on how you want it to taste and what you like. So you can make it as light as you want or as robust as you want, as thick as you want, or as watery as you want. It all boils down to taste.

I like to make a pot of it and then leave the remainder aside for the next day. It tastes stronger then, and I water it down, add some noodles to it, and turn it into a kimchi noodle soup. Easy peasy!

homemade kimchi jjigae

I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to order this outside anymore, now that I know how quick and easy it is to cook it at home 😀

Still, if I do go for a Korean meal, you can bet I’ll be ordering it anyway. Habits die hard 😉

Do you like eating kimchi or kimchi jjigae? 😀

I do, as you well know now, and thanks to the amount of garlic I chuck in mine, its such an anti-social dish so make sure you have this with friends, or rather, people who don’t mind the pungent smells 😀

Paris B

Scrumptious Saturday: One day of the week where I indulge in my other love – Food! It will feature my cooking experiments or eating and travel adventures. Yes, I will travel for good food.

48 Insightful comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

About Paris B

Paris B is a 40-something beauty and skincare enthusiast with a practical and very critical view of beauty products and the world of beauty. Her mission on My Women Stuff is to deliver clear, honest reviews and facilitate discussions about beauty trends and life, tempered with a healthy dose of humour. When not blogging about beauty or life beyond 40 find her talking about feeding dogs real, wholesome food. Connect with us on social media at Instagram.

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48 comments ... Read or JOIN THE DISCUSSION

  1. Bugs says

    January 30, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    I really wanted to enjoy kimchi stew but the ones I’ve tried so far are just too spicy for me that I can’t swallow spoonful by spoonful without needing a drink in between. Sad coz that spoils the kimchi mood.

    Reply
  2. Mrs Top Monkey says

    February 4, 2013 at 9:35 pm

    Looks sooo delicious! I love kimchi and I love Korean food. Might cook this for my lunch soon but must air out entire apartment after to avoid the hubby fainting the moment he arrives home. He hates kimchi.

    Reply
  3. Kristin T. says

    October 3, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    Thanks for the recipe! Do post more simple recipes like these. Totally need these since I’ll be relocating to the US for work very soon!

    If you travel often, can you do a post on how to pack a suitcase? I find it so difficult to pack light!

    Reply
    • Paris B says

      October 4, 2013 at 11:14 am

      Hi Kristin, what fun! Relocating 😉 I do travel light but then I go on holiday so it’s quite easy. If I were relocating, I’d just pack my essentials and buy the rest where I’ll be going. You will anyway, and if it was clothes, you’d find something more suitable where you’ll be going. But if I were going to be away for an extended time, I’ll definitely pack foodstuff 😛 That’s what I did as a student.

      Reply
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My Women Stuff by Paris B

Welcome to My Women Stuff, a beauty blog based in Malaysia, written by veteran blogger, Paris B. We now write for women of 40 and above because that's how old I am! What you can expect is honesty, critical views & a healthy dose of shared life lessons sprinkled amongst beauty product reviews. Settle in for a read. Read More about us

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