Kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew)

You know how you crave your mom's mac and cheese? Or your granddad's spaghetti and meatballs? Or your auntie's spicy fried chicken wings? You want comfort, you want home. When I crave my mom's food, I want something spicy. I want clear-your-sinuses, steam-coming-out-of-your-ears hell broth. That's my favorite taste of home. When I'm feeling homesick for my mama's cooking, I make kimchi jjigae. It's quick and spicy and smelly and delicious.

Kimchi is definitely an acquired taste, at least it was for me. My mom and aunts would dip the kimchi in water to make the kimchi less spicy for me eat when I was a little kid. I think I was probably eight or nine when I started eating kimchi without having someone water it down for me. Ever since, I've been hooked. The spicier, the better. I also really love old kimchi, the kimchi that's almost too sour for a normal human to enjoy.

In college, I'd come home for breaks and my mom would have a giant gallon of kimchi that had gotten sour past the point where even she liked it. This meant that, when I'd had my fill of eating shin (sour) kimchi and rice, we ate a lot of kimchi jjigae to rid ourselves of the rest of the shin kimchi. Kimchi jjigae is a stew made mostly with kimchi that you spoon out over rice, but you can add meat, tofu, or eggs to get some protein in.

I started with a little diced bacon and added a tablespoon of sesame oil. "Real" jjigae usually uses pork belly, but I had bacon.

Then, I added my onion and kimchi.

After that, I added the gojugaru, dashida, and water, letting it cook for twenty minutes or so. Then I crumbled the tofu and threw the scallions in. So satisfying.

If you like kimchi, then you'll like this stew, with or without tofu. Just make sure you serve it over rice! Jjigae is especially good if you're one of those weirdos who only like to eat fresh kimchi and are at a loss as to how to use up the rest of your sour kimchi. I also recommend making kimchi jeon (pancakes) if you need a way to use up a lot of kimchi at once.

Kimchi jjigae
(serves four or five)

Ingredients
5 or 6 strips of bacon, diced (or to be truly authentic, use pork belly instead--some people say a can or two of tuna works too, but I hate tuna, so I don't think I'll ever try it this way)
1 tbsp sesame oil (skip if you don't have it--the sesame is just for flavor)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3-4 cups kimchi (the sourer the better!)
5-6 cups of water
2-4 tsp gochugaru
1 tbsp dashida (or 2 tsp fish sauce)

Optional:
4-5 scallions, thinly sliced
10-16oz soft tofu
an egg for however many people are eating the soup

Instructions

In a large pot, fry the bacon (or pork belly) with the sesame oil. When the fat has been rendered and the meat is starting to crisp, add the onions, kimchi, dashida, and water. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium or medium-high, letting the jjigae thicken for about 20 minutes.

If using, add the scallions and tofu, bringing it briefly to a boil, then lowering heat to let it cook for five minutes. If you want to add eggs, crack them into the pot when the jjigae is boiling, letting them cook for a few minutes before serving.

Serve kimchi jjigae over rice. I love it steaming hot, but it's still good at room temp.