Revealed 05/03/2023. Up to date 05/01/2023

In case you like kimchi jjigae (stew), do this kimchi jjim (braised kimchi). Gradual cooked with a small quantity of liquid and fatty pork, braised kimchi is tender and full of flavors.

Kimchi jjim (or kimchijjim, 김치찜) is a braised kimchi dish. It’s usually made with pork, however you need to use different meat for those who like. In Korea, kimchi jjim made with mackerel can also be widespread. As a result of the kimchi is sluggish braised, this recipe makes use of much less liquid than the quantity used for kimchi jjigae (stew). The ensuing dish is drier than kimchi stew however with deliciously concentrated flavors!

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Aged kimchi

Yearly in late fall, I make sufficient kimchi to final by the winter and spring. After getting old, the kimchi turns into bitter and packs wealthy taste, making it excellent for stews or soups! This kimchi jjim is a household favourite!

In Korea, mukeunji (묵은지), which is conventional poggi kimchi that has aged over at the least a six-month interval, is often used for this dish. The flavour of that outdated kimchi is kind of intense. Some Korean eating places provide mukeunji dishes akin to mukenji jjim (pork-braised) and mukeunji godeungeo jorim (mackerel-braised).

Don’t fear! Your kimchi doesn’t have to be 6 months outdated so that you can make this dish. Nonetheless, it’s finest to make use of nicely fermented kimchi that has turned bitter. The older the higher! In case you don’t have home made kimchi, your Korean market could carry commercially made poggi kimchi.

The meat

Fatty pork is the most well-liked meat selection for kimchi jjigae in Korea. As I at all times say, kimchi and fatty pork make an ideal pair. It’s no shock pork ribs are widespread and scrumptious in kimchi stew. If utilizing them, cook dinner the ribs till they’re considerably tender by boiling them for 20-Half-hour, after which cook dinner them with kimchi.

Ideas for making good kimchi jjim

Previous, bitter kimchi is the very best for this dish.
Use the water used to rinse rice (ssalddeumul, 쌀뜨물) for the braising liquid. It’s generally used for Korean stews. Use the water from the second or third spherical of rinsing. The rice water thickens the broth barely and enhances the flavour of the braised kimchi. In any other case Anchovy broth, hen broth, milky bone broth or vegetable broth may also be nice for this dish.
If juice from kimchi is out there, it can add numerous taste to the broth.
You’ll be able to minimize kimchi into small items earlier than cooking, however in Korea it’s generally made with the quarter cabbage intact as proven within the picture under and minimize on the desk.
If the kimchi is overly bitter, add slightly sugar to the stew to stability out the bitter style. It rounds up the flavour properly, but it surely’s not completely essential for those who don’t need to use sugar.

Extra recipes with outdated kimchi

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