Swich | Recipes - Kimchi Jigae (Korean Kimchi Stew)
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Kimchi Jigae (Korean Kimchi Stew)

Emmy- and James Beard Award–winning chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern has spent much of his professional career promoting understanding and culture through food. His influential “Bizarre Foods” franchise on the Travel Channel and his MSNBC series “What’s Eating America” — among his many other projects — have explored authentic food experiences and discoveries with a wide audience.

Makes 2 | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour
Makes 2 | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour
Step 1: Making the Dish
  • FOR THE STOCK:
  • 1⁄3 cup sliced daikon
  • 4-by-5-inch piece dried Korean kelp (or Japanese kombu)
  • 3 green onions
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • FOR THE STEW:
  • 1 pound kimchi, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1⁄2 pound shiitake mushrooms, trimmed, stems discarded
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1⁄4 cup kimchi brine
  • 5 scallions
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean hot pepper flakes)
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean fermented hot pepper paste)
  • 2 cups stock
  • 1⁄2 pound Korean radish or daikon, cubed
  • 1 package soft or medium silken tofu, sliced into 1⁄2-inch-thick bite-size pieces
  • 16 ounces glass or bean thread noodles, prepared according to package directions

MAKE THE STOCK:
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Boil for 25 minutes over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Strain the stock, discarding the contents of the strainer. This makes slightly more than 2 cups of stock.

MAKE THE STEW:
Place the kimchi, mushrooms, onion, and kimchi brine in a shallow braising pot with a lid.

Chop 4 of the scallions and add them to the pot with the salt, sugar, gochugaru, oil, gochujang, and the stock you prepared above.

Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat.

Stir in the radish with a spoon. Lay the tofu over the top in an attractive line. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes over medium heat.

Add the noodles to the pot (nudge them under the tofu). Season with salt if needed.

Thinly slice the remaining scallion and add as a garnish. Remove the stew from the heat and serve right away with rice.

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