Kimchi Jjigae Recipe - Authentic Korean Stew for Ultimate Comfort Food
Simple, flavorful, and incredibly comforting, this Korean kimchi jjigae recipe is your go-to for a hearty, satisfying meal that's a breeze to make.
Original recipe
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 3
- Sourced
- 12 Aug 2026
- Items
- 14
14
Things to buy
Cooking for
Adding it again later updates the quantities instead of doubling up.
Cooking for
Ingredients
What you need
Names and measures for Australia
- 180 gskinless pork belly0.4 pounds, , cut into bite size pieces
- 20 mlrice wine1 tbsp = 20 ml (read as AU: 1 tablespoon = 20 ml)
- 3sprinkles ground black pepper
- 190 mlaged Kimchi0.75 cup = 188 ml (read as AU: 1 cup = 250 ml)
- 38 gbrown onion0.25 brown onion = 37.5 g (typical size here)
- 7.5 ggreen onion0.5 spring onion = 7.5 g (typical size here)
- 30 gshiitake mushrooms2 shiitake mushrooms = 30 g (typical size here)
- 150 gfirm tofu5.3 ounces, , sliced into 1cm thickness rectangles, or other shapes you may prefer
- 250 mlwater1 cup = 250 ml (read as AU: 1 cup = 250 ml)
- 20 mlKorean chili flakes1 tbsp = 20 ml (read as AU: 1 tablespoon = 20 ml)
- 23 gsoy sauce1 tbsp = 20 ml = 23 g (read as AU: 1 tablespoon = 20 ml)
- 6.25 gKorean chili paste1 tsp = 5 ml = 6.25 g (read as AU: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml)
- 1.25 mlminced garlic0.25 tsp = 1.25 ml (read as AU: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml)
- 3sprinkles ground black pepper
Recipe by Sue Pressey, My Korean Kitchen. Method rewritten for this cookbook — read the original on My Korean Kitchen.
This recipe's shopping list
Scaled for 3 serves
Other
Method
How it goes together
- 01
Step 1
Marinate the pork belly with the rice wine and the ground black pepper for about 15 mins.
The rice wine strips the raw pork smell and the pepper seasons the meat itself rather than just the broth, so the stew tastes clean rather than porky.
- 02
Step 2
Cook the kimchi in a skillet until soft. (Alternatively, you can do this directly in the pot where you’ll make the jjigae, but only if the pot is large enough to maneuver easily.)
Cooking the kimchi first tames its raw sourness and softens the leaves, turning it into a deep, rounded base instead of sharp pickle in liquid.
- 03
Step 3
Place the marinated meat at the bottom of the pot. Add all the other ingredients—kimchi, onion, mushrooms, tofu, water, and the base sauce—into the pot, except for the green onion. (I used a clay pot with a capacity of just over 1 liter. I’ve also successfully made this using an 18cm (7-inch) Staub Cocotte without needing the skillet mentioned in the previous step.)
Pork on the bottom sits in the hottest part of the pot and renders its fat up through everything above it, which is where the richness in the broth comes from.
- 04
Step 4
Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking until the meat is completely cooked through, which should take about 10 to 15 minutes from the start of this step. To ensure the sauce is evenly incorporated, gently stir it into the soup using a spoon. Occasionally, spoon some of the broth over the other ingredients to help distribute the flavors. When the meat is done, add the green onion, give it a final gentle mix, and turn off the heat.
Dropping back to medium keeps the pot at a steady simmer so the pork cooks through and the fat emulsifies into the broth; the base sauce needs stirring through or it sits in a pocket at the bottom.
- 05
Step 5
Serve with a bowl of rice and other Korean side dishes.
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