Foodie Friday: Kimchi Soup

Originating from Korea, Jjigae is a spicy, filling soup perfect for cold winter days. It’s student budget friendly; pork belly is one of the cheapest cuts of meat you can buy!

There are lots of variations of Jjigae, but this one is made with tofu and pork. If you’re vegetarian, you can replace the pork with mushrooms or any other vegetable that takes your fancy. If you don’t eat pork, chicken or beef can be used instead.

It’s super healthy too, thanks to the tofu and kimchi. Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made from seasoned fermented vegetables, usually with the main vegetable being cabbage. It’s also slightly spicy.

Note on sourcing ingredients

The tofu, kimchi and chilli paste are all available at The Morning Sun Supermarket on the High Street. It’s important you buy silken, not firm, tofu, so that it breaks up in the soup.  I couldn’t find any Korean chilli paste, called Gochujang, so instead I found a good dupe from Morning Sun – Guilin Style Chilli Sauce, which is almost identical in its ingredients (red chilli peppers and fermented soybean paste is the backbone).

Ingredients (Serves 6)

500g silken tofu
500g kimchi
1 pound pork belly slices, cut into bite sized pieces
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 teaspoons Guilin style chilli paste (adjust according to your spice tolerance! 3 is high, 2 is medium, and 1 is mild)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 pints chicken stock
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey

Method

1. In a large stewing pot, heat the oil and add the kimchi, pork, garlic and chilli paste. Stir over medium-high heat for a few minutes.
2. Add the chicken stock, honey, and soy sauce. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the tofu and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
3. Remove pot from heat and stir in the chopped spring onions. Add salt to taste. Enjoy!