Easy Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)

This Kimchi Jjigae is quick & easy to make, yet loaded with rich and comforting flavors to warm you up on a cold day. This delicious stew is incredibly savory and calls for a handful of ingredients to make the best kimchi stew in the comfort of your home.

What is Kimchi Jjigae?

Kimchi Jjigae is a classic dish in Korean cuisine, which is often referred to as the ultimate comfort food for Koreans around the world.

It is an iconic dish that represents our cultural identity and commonly found on dinner tables in a Korean household, accompanied by small dishes of banchan (Korean side dishes).

Kimchi Jjigae, which is often served sizzling hot in a traditional earthenware pot, is always at the center of my cravings on the slightly colder days, or at times that I don’t have much of an appetite.

The rich, comforting flavors of Kimchi Jjigae is often the cure to my homesickness and one that I make most often to satisfy my cultural cravings.

Kimchi, which is the base of this stew, is not only Korea’s most-loved staple food but an essential ingredient in many of our traditional dishes like Kimchi Fried Rice.

When Kimchi is fermented or aged over a long period of time, it develops incredibly deep flavors that truly elevate when it is cooked.

This Kimchi Jjigae recipe is made with a can of tuna instead of pork, which not only makes it easy and accessible, but the umami flavors of tuna coupled with aged kimchi, makes it to be one of the most flavorful ways to make Kimchi Jjigae in the comfort of your home.

If you prefer to make this vegan/vegetarian, please feel free to skip the tuna entirely, or substitute it with your choice of vegetables or meat (pork and spam is a popular addition).

What do I need to make Kimchi Jjigae?

Today I’m sharing my go-to kimchi stew recipe, which only calls for a handful of ingredients that are easily accessible. Here is a list of ingredients that you will need:

• Aged kimchi + sesame oil for frying: It’s important to use aged kimchi (fermented for at least 3 weeks) when it’s used as a cooking ingredient as it is much more flavorful when cooked, as opposed to the fresh alternative.
  • To expedite this process, you can also leave out a container of kimchi at room temperature overnight for quick fermentation.
    • Since kimchi has already been fermented, leaving it out at room temperature overnight is food-safe and helps to heighten the flavors. Simply transfer it back into the fridge the next day to use in your dishes or to serve. 
    • When buying store-bought kimchi, I often set aside a portion in a fermentation jar and leave it out overnight, to use as a cooking ingredient.
      • This ensures that the rest of the kimchi follows a natural fermentation process, with having different types of kimchi to work with for both cooking and serving purposes. 
• Sugar: to help balance the sourness of the aged kimchi
• Onion + garlic: for the essential aromatics.
• Rice water: or dashi, anchovy stock, low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock. You can use water instead, but using rice water or stock will yield the most flavorful results.
  • Ssing rice water to cook soups/stews is a traditional technique in Korean cuisine to make the broth richer and smoother, as well as to heighten the flavors.
  • The water is gathered from the second or third session of rinsing your rice. I recommend some this aside when preparing your rice to go with the stew.
• Canned tuna + tofu: I prefer adding tuna for the extra umami flavor, but you can skip this entirely to make it vegetarian or add your choice of meat instead (pork and spam is a popular option).
• Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), Doenjang (Korean soybean paste) or soy sauce: to season the stew.
• Dashida (Korean soup stock): optional, to enhance flavor.
• Green onions and chili pepper: optional, for garnish.

And that’s it! All that’s needed to make a flavorful and hearty kimchi stew, without the trip to your local restaurant. Kimchi Jjigae is incredibly easy to make and tastes wonderful when made fresh, so I highly recommend giving this a try.

How do you serve Kimchi Jjigae?

Kimchi Jjigae is often cooked and served in a traditional Korean stone pot, as it maintains the sizzling hot temperature over the course of serving.

These stone pots can be used directly on gas or electric stovetops, ovens, broilers, and microwaves, so it is highly versatile, and perfect when serving hot dishes like Kimchi Jjigae.

As for serving options, Kimchi Jjigae makes for a satisfying meal with just a bowl of steamed rice, but the traditional way is to serve it with a variety of banchan (Korean side dishes).

Here is a link to all the side dish recipes that I’ve shared so far, with more to come throughout this year to accompany your dinner table!

I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious recipe, and please feel free to leave a comment below or message me on Instagram for any questions you may have!

Other easy Korean recipes you may like:

• Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)
• Dubu Jorim (Korean Braised Tofu)
• Korean Tuna Pancakes (Chamchijeon)
• Mayak Eggs (Korean Marinated Eggs)
• Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)

Print Recipe

5 from 31 votes

Easy Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)

This Kimchi Jjigae is quick & easy to make, yet loaded with rich and comforting flavors to warm you up on a cold day. This delicious stew is incredibly savory and calls for a handful of ingredients to make the best kimchi stew in the comfort of your home. 

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Korean

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 347kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 yellow onion sliced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup aged kimchi cut into bite-sized pieces, see ingredient notes below
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 1/2 cups water anchovy stock, dashi, low-sodium chicken stock or rice water (see notes below)
• 1/4 cup kimchi juice from the kimchi
• 1-2 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes) to taste
• 1 tbsp Doenjang (Korean soybean paste) or soy sauce
• 1 can tuna drained, can be skipped or subbed with pork or spam
• 1/2 container tofu soft or medium, cut into small cubes
• 1 tsp Dashida (Korean soup stock) optional, to enhance flavor
• 1 green onion, chili pepper optional, for garnish

Instructions

• Add sesame oil to a pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, kimchi, and sugar, and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring often to ensure even cooking. Add rice water and bring to a boil.
• When the stew starts boiling, add kimchi juice, Gochugaru, and Doenjang (or soy sauce). Cook for about 8 minutes, or to your desired consistency.
• Add tuna and tofu and cook for another 2 minutes, and season with salt to taste, and add in Dashida if using. Garnish to your preference and enjoy!

Notes

It’s important to use aged kimchi (fermented for at least 3 weeks) for this recipe as it is much more flavorful when cooked, as opposed to the fresh alternative.

Rice water: using rice water to cook soups/stews is a traditional technique in Korean cuisine to make the broth richer and smoother, as well as to heighten the flavors. 

The water is gathered from the second or third session of rinsing your rice. I recommend some this aside when preparing your rice to go with the stew. You can also just use regular water as well, but rice water will help elevate the flavors! 

If you choose to add pork instead of tuna: I recommend stir frying it first with the onion and kimchi and proceed with the rest of the recipe. Canned spam is pre-cooked, so you can add it at the end in place of the tuna. 

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Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal