Kimchi Jjigae

Kimchi jjigae is the chili of Korea. It's a kimchi based soup with vegetables and pork. It's a very cheap, delicious and spicy soup.

• Ingredients:

• kimchi
• water
• small zucchini
• carrot
• onion
• pepper paste or bean paste
• pork
• hot peppers
• Directions:
• Slice the carrot, zucchini, hot peppers and onions. Chop up the pork into small bite sized pieces. Pour the kimchi into a soup pot. Add the vegetables and pork. Also add a small amount of water, depending on how much kimchi juice there was. Remember that when it boils down it gets more watery. You can add the pepper paste to taste. Add more for a fuller flavor and more spice.
• Serving:
• Traditionally it is served boiling hot in a stone pot with a side of rice. If more than two people are eating it, it's usual to accompany the dinner with various side dishes (banchan).

Typically the kimchi used in kimchi jjigae is the older more fermented kimchi. This gives the kimchi jjigae a stronger, fuller flavor and it also has more of the good bacteria that's found in yogurt. There are many other ingredients that you can add such as tofu, seafood, tuna, chicken, scallions, garlic or mushrooms. Koreans are known for changing their recipes with the seasons. It keeps the same old soup and foods interesting. The recipes are always changing in subtle ways!