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Schulyer's Kimchijigae

Schulyer's Kimchijigae


Recipe by Schulyer Bailar @pinkmantaray 

Schulyer

“As a mixed race Korean American transgender man, my connectedness to my culture and family has been a journey that I have frequently found best cultivated through food and cooking. I've learned all of what I know from my halmoni and my keun imo and I'm excited to share with you my favorite dish today.” - Schulyer Bailar @pinkmantaray

Servings

6-8

What You'll Need

Kimchijigae (김치찌개) Ingredients

  • 1 pound of kimchi (of course, old homemade kimchi from your grandparents is best, but as you can see in this video, I use brand new store-bought kimchi. Your local Korean market may sell old kimchi, called mukeunji - 묵은지)
  • 1-2 packages of tofu (12-24oz or 340-680g)
  • 1 bundle of green onions
  • 1-2 cups of rice cakes
  • 2-3 tablespoons of gochujang (Korean pepper paste)
  • 2-3 tablespoons of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
  • 4 cups of water
  • 6-8 pork ribs (the fattier the better!)
  • 2-3 tablespoons of neutral cooking oil (I used avocado)

Directions

Step 1

Clean pork ribs by rinsing in water and dry well

Step 2

Slice kimchi into 1-1.5 inch pieces and set aside

Step 3

Heat the Perfect Pot on high and once heated, add 2-3tbsp of neutral cooking oil

Step 4

Sear pork ribs in the Perfect Pot, turning every few minutes so that each side is browned

Step 5

Cover pork ribs with all of the kimchi (layer on top of the pork ribs) and kimchi juice from the jar

Step 6

Fill the Perfect Pot with 4 cups water or until the water level just reaches the level of the kimchi

Step 7

Reduce heat to medium-high and let cook for 20 minutes

Step 8

While the stew cooks:

  • Slice tofu into cubes
  • Chopped green onions
  • Rinse rice cakes (or defrost according to package instructions)

Step 9

Stir the stew, lifting the ribs from the base of the pot and integrating it all together

Step 10

Add gochujang and gochugaru to taste (both of these are spicy!)

Step 11

Let cook for 20 minutes

Step 12

Add tofu and 3/4 of the green onions (set aside 1/4 for garnish)

Step 13

Let cook for 5-10 minutes

Step 14

The stew is now finished but can simmer for hours!

  • Simmering longer will result in more tender ribs and a more flavorful stew.
  • Only add the rice cakes in when you’re ready to eat. They need about 5 minutes to cook in the stew on medium heat. Leaving them in the stew for longer on the stove will likely cause them to disintegrate and lose their delicious chewy texture. I usually add them in batches if I know I’m not going to finish the entire pot.

Step 15

Enjoy in a traditional Korean ttukbaegi (earthenware bowl) or normal bowl garnished with chopped green onions and a bowl of rice!

Note:

Kimchijigae is easily made vegetarian/vegan by using a different base – for the simplest substitution, replace steps involving pork with vegetable broth, or, even better, check out recipes by Korean vegan experts such as @thekoreanvegan.

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