If I had to choose a favorite Korean dish, this would be it. This dish is home to me. So simple, yet so delicious. I don’t even need rice to eat this dish, but it is customarily served with rice. If you don’t want to use pork, you can use beef, but my mother has always made it with pork. I rarely have kimchi in the refrigerator because of the pungent odor that my non-Korean husband does not enjoy, but when I do and it has been able to get a little sour, I get giddy with excitement that I can make a pot of this stew.
Ingredients
3/4 lb pork belly or bacon, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 cups kimchi (the kind made with Napa cabbage) with some kimchi juice
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon gochujang
1 tablespoon gochukaru
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 cups of water
1/2 block of tofu, cubed (optional)
2 bunches of enoki mushrooms (optional)
2 scallions, chopped
Preparation:
In a large shallow pan, mix pork belly and 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil together, then sauté over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Then add in kimchi and sauté for 5 more minutes. Add remaining oil, onion, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, gochujang, and gochukaru into pan and cook for 3 minutes more. Pour water into pot and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add in tofu, mushrooms and scallions and cook for 10 minutes more. Serve hot with steamed rice.
