Well, it is finally getting cold here in Minnesota and with the cold I am seeing an uptick in colds and flus. My children brought me a doozy this weekend, and as I was whipping out my herbs and trying to remind myself to rest, (doctors make the worst patients) I remembered one of my favorite soups which helps the body to resist a cold or flu.
Most of you know that I am a big fan of both fermented foods and soups and this one is a little of both. It is called Kimchi jigae and it is a delicious korean soup that I was taught to make by my brother Aairam who had the great fortune to live in Seoul for a little over a year. When the avian flu was plaguing Asia I remember reading an article that stated that Korea had experienced no deaths. Some attributed it to the kimchi in their diet - it's fermented, and has loads of both garlic and chili. Yum!
I'll do my best with this recipe, but keep in mind that I learned this dish by taste, so all of the measurements are approximations. Alter this as you see fit.
Kimchi Jigae
1lb pork (chops etc) sliced thinly
1 bunch finely sliced green onions
4-8 cloves minced garlic
5 T sesame oil
salt/pepper
16 oz kimchi (separate cabbage from juice. SAVE JUICE!!!)
1 medium Mu peeled and cubed (Korean radish) see photo below
4-8 c water
2 tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
2 tsp miso or dengjang (Korean fermented bean paste)
2 tsp (Korean) soy sauce
8 - 16 oz firm tofu
cooked rice
3 sheets Korean roasted seaweed cut into strips
1. Slice your pork and add to garlic, sesame oil, green onions, salt and pepper. Let sit for a bit. Saute pork mixture in soup pot.
2. When finished, transfer out and saute kimchi until translucent.
3. Add pork mixture to kimchi as well as cubed mu, water, gochujang, dengjang, soy sauce and half of kimchi juice.
4. Let cook for 45 mis to hour until mu is translucent. Check the taste. Add more sesame oil if you desire a richer, fuller flavor, more kimchi juice for spice, and soy to even the two flavors out. Add tofu 10 mins before serving.
5. Serve with a few tablespoons to 1/2 cup rice, topped with the roasted seaweed (laver).
Here's a link to a recipe most like mine. http://norecipes.com/blog/2009/11/18/kimchi-jigae-recipe-kimchi-soup/
I learned to cook from my family members, so I do my best finding a recipe I like and then monkeying around in the kitchen until I perfect my own version of the recipe. So, if you are catching a cold, I would suggest you run over to one of our fantastic Korean restaurants and ordering a nice bowl of kimchi jigae to go! Then you will know the taste to aim for!
If you live in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, I would suggest you head over to Kim's Market on Snelling for your ingredients. It's a great shop, and they always have the best kimchi in the metro area.
Bon appetit!
Joi
