Kimchi jjigae is the stew Korean households reach for once a jar of cabbage kimchi has turned properly sour. The cabbage, meat and tofu simmer together until the broth turns a deep orange-red, thick with the funk of fermentation and the warmth of chilli. It is loud at the table: it arrives bubbling, usually in the pot it was cooked in, and everyone eats from the center.
When kimchi gets old, it becomes an excellent ingredient for various other dishes, and the most common dish made with aged kimchi is kimchi jjigae. Sliced kimchi goes into a pot with the meat of choice and other ingredients such as tofu, sliced spring onions and garlic, then everything stews in water or anchovy stock, seasoned with fermented bean paste or fermented red pepper paste. Like many Korean dishes it is usually eaten communally from the center of the table, served with rice and side dishes, and it is usually cooked and served boiling hot in a stone pot.
The flavor sits somewhere between sour, salty and spicy, with a savory pull from the broth underneath. It is full of flavor: spicy, sour, salty, savory, and sweet. It is weekday food more than special-occasion food: quick to put together, forgiving of whatever kimchi you have on hand, and the kind of dish that tastes better the longer the kimchi has been sitting in the fridge.
What you need
Three things decide how this stew turns out. First, the kimchi itself: it needs to be properly fermented, meaning sour and a little fizzy, not the fresh, crunchy kind sold for side dishes. Old kimchi that has sat in the fridge for weeks is exactly what you want here; its brine goes into the pot too, so don’t drain it away.
Second, gochugaru, the coarse Korean chilli flake, gives the broth its color and a fruity, not-too-sharp heat; it is sold in Korean grocery stores and online, usually in mild or hot grades. Third, the stock. A quick anchovy and kelp broth gives the deepest, most savory result, but plain water, chicken stock or vegetable stock all work if you don’t have dried anchovies in the pantry.
On the protein: kimchi jjigae is extremely versatile, and according to custom you can use any protein you want, which is why this version uses halal-certified beef instead of the pork belly many recipes call for. Chicken thigh is another common swap and works the same way.
| Ingredient | Swap | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Pork belly | Thinly sliced halal-certified beef chuck, brisket or boneless chicken thigh | Leaner than pork belly, so add an extra 1 tsp oil when browning |
| Anchovy stock | Chicken stock or vegetable stock | Milder and less oceanic, still works well |
| Gochugaru | 1 tbsp sweet paprika plus a pinch of cayenne per tbsp needed | Less fruity and less red, but gives usable heat in a pinch |
| Firm tofu | Soft or silken tofu | Creamier texture, tofu breaks apart more easily when stirred |
Kimchi jjigae (Korean kimchi stew)
A bubbling Korean stew of well-fermented kimchi, tender beef and soft tofu in a sour, spicy broth, made here with halal-certified beef in place of the pork often used.
- Dairy-free
- Halal
Ingredients
For the stew
- 400 g Fully fermented napa cabbage kimchi, cut into bite-size pieces
- 120 ml Kimchi brine (liquid from the jar)
- 300 g Halal-certified beef chuck or brisket, thinly sliced, boneless chicken thigh also works
- 15 ml Vegetable oil
- 150 g Onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1½ tbsp Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- 1 tbsp Gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 800 ml Anchovy stock, chicken stock or water
- 300 g Firm tofu, cut into thick slabs
- 3 Green onions, sliced
- 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil, to finish
- 1 pinch Salt, to taste (optional)
Equipment
Medium pot or shallow stew pot, Wooden spoon, Ladle
Method
- Brown the beef. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes until no longer pink and lightly browned at the edges.
- Soften the aromatics. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns soft and translucent.
- Cook down the kimchi. Add the kimchi and stir for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, until it softens, turns a deeper red and smells fragrant rather than sharp.
- Add the seasonings. Stir in the gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce and sugar. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until the paste coats the meat and kimchi and smells toasted.
- Simmer the stew. Pour in the stock and kimchi brine. Bring to a strong simmer, then lower the heat and simmer gently, partly covered, for 15 to 18 minutes, until the beef is tender.
- Add the tofu. Lay the tofu slabs over the top of the stew. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes more, without stirring hard, until the tofu is heated through.
- Finish and season. Taste and adjust with a little more salt or sugar if needed. Remove from the heat, drizzle with sesame oil and scatter the green onions on top.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls, or bring the pot straight to the table bubbling hot, with steamed rice alongside.
Contains: gluten, sesame, soy, fish. Check the labels on packaged ingredients.
Written with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor. This recipe has not been cooked in a home kitchen, so taste and adjust as you go. The header picture is an AI-generated illustration, a stock photo or an official press picture, not a photo of this exact recipe. Use halal-certified meat.
Tips for success
Use kimchi that is properly sour. Fresh, mild kimchi will leave the stew flat and one-note; the stew depends on that fermented tang, so the older and more pungent the jar, the better the result.
Don’t skip browning the meat first. A few minutes in a hot pot renders fat and builds a savory base that plain simmering never gets you; the beef should look lightly browned at the edges, not boiled, before anything else goes in.
Cook the kimchi down before adding liquid. Stirring it in the pot for several minutes softens its bite and deepens its color; rushing this step leaves the stew tasting sharp and under-seasoned.
Keep it at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. A hard boil toughens the meat and breaks the tofu into mush; a steady, quiet bubble gets both tender without losing shape.
Add the tofu late and handle it gently. Stir too hard once it’s in and you’ll end up with stew full of crumbs instead of soft slabs.
Taste before you salt. Kimchi, gochujang and soy sauce are all salty on their own, so season at the end rather than at the start.
Storing and reheating
Cool the stew and move it to the fridge within about 2 hours of cooking, following general food-safety guidance for cooked dishes. It keeps well for 3 to 4 days refrigerated in a sealed container. For longer storage, freeze it for up to about 3 months; the tofu’s texture softens further after freezing but the flavor holds up.
Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until it is steaming hot all the way through, reaching at least 74°C (165°F), stirring partway through if using a microwave so it heats evenly. Only reheat the portion you plan to eat, rather than repeatedly reheating the whole pot.
Serving ideas
Serve it bubbling hot, straight from the pot, with a bowl of short-grain steamed rice on the side; the rice is there to balance the sour heat of the stew. A few simple banchan round out the meal: seasoned spinach, bean sprouts, or a plate of crisp lettuce leaves for wrapping bites of meat and rice. Toasted sheets of gim (dried seaweed) are a common addition for scooping up rice.
Diet and allergen notes
This recipe uses halal-certified beef or chicken in place of the pork belly found in many versions, and contains no alcohol, so it is halal as written. It is not vegetarian or vegan because of the meat and (if used) the anchovy stock; for a vegetarian or vegan version, leave out the meat and anchovy stock, use vegetable stock instead, add extra tofu and mushrooms for body, and check that your gochujang and kimchi are made without fish sauce or shrimp paste, which many brands include.
Allergens to flag: soy (soy sauce, gochujang, tofu), fish (anchovy stock, and fish sauce or salted shrimp in some kimchi brands), and gluten (regular soy sauce and most gochujang contain wheat). For a gluten-free version, use tamari instead of soy sauce and check the label on your gochujang and kimchi, since gluten-free brands of both exist. The dish is dairy-free as written.
Questions
Can I make kimchi jjigae without meat?
Yes. Swap the beef for extra tofu, mushrooms or a plant-based ground meat, and use vegetable stock instead of anchovy stock. Just double check the kimchi itself doesn’t contain fish sauce or shrimp paste, since many traditional brands do.
Why does my stew taste flat instead of sour and spicy?
It’s almost always the kimchi. If it’s fresh and mild rather than properly fermented, the stew will lack the sourness that makes it work; look for kimchi that’s been in the fridge for several weeks and smells distinctly tangy.
How spicy is this, and can I turn it down?
As written it has a steady, building heat from both the kimchi and the gochugaru. Cut the gochugaru back to 1 tablespoon and use a mild kimchi if you’d rather keep it gentle; the stew will still be plenty flavorful.