Korean Kimchi Stew with Spam (Kimchi Jjigae 김치 찌개)

Mouth-watering, spicy, savory, hearty, red-hot, kimchi stew or kimchi jjigae (김치 찌개) that will warm your soul and your tummy, especially when it pairs with a bowl of steam rice. It is the perfect dish to make and eat to fight the cold weather. When making this Kimchi soup, I like adding Spam to the stew to enhance the flavor even more.

Korean kimchi jjigae (김치 찌개) looks like it’s a very spicy soup, in reality, it is not as spicy as it looks like. Though it is red, kimchi itself tastes a bit on the sour side – think of sauerkraut or pickle. You can actually make a lot of different varieties of dishes with kimchi, such as kimchi brown fried rice, kimchi pancake, and so on. For this kimchi jjigae or kimchi stew, the ingredients that make it spicy are gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) and gochujang (Korean chili paste). So, if you like it spicier, you can add more of the gochugaru/gochujang in the stew.  

Tip: It is better to use ‘old’ kimchi for making this kimchi jjigae as older kimchi tends to have stronger flavor due to longer fermentation – I find it best to use 2 to 3-week old kimchi.  

Ingredient:

• 1 can (12 oz) low-sodium spam – sliced about ½ inch thick
• ½ lbs pork belly – thinly sliced or you can buy the pre-sliced meat
• 2 cups fermented kimchi – cut into bite-sized
• ½ cup kimchi juice
• 1 package (1 lb) medium-firm tofu – sliced about ½ inch thick
• 1 medium-sized onion – sliced
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• 5 stalks scallion – sliced diagonally
• 1 teaspoon Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
• 1 teaspoon Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 ½ cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Direction:

• In a pot, under medium high heat, stir fry minced garlic, onion, pork belly, and kimchi until the kimchi softens a bit or about 5 minutes.
• Then, add the kimchi juice, gochugaru, gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and water. Give it a stir so that all are mixed thoroughly. Then, reduce the heat to medium, cover and let it boil.
• Afterwards, add spam, and tofu. Cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes.
• Garnish with the sliced scallion and serve the kimchi jjigae with steamed rice and your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!