Kimchi Jjigae with Ground Beef

Ingredients

• 300 g ground beef
• salt (to taste; use lightly to season the beef)
• 0.5 onion (sliced)
• 3 scallions (use the white portions for cooking and the green portions for garnish)
• 1 lb well-fermented kimchi (about 454 g; chop or slice during prep)
• 0.25 cup kimchi juice (reserve from the kimchi)
• 2 cups water
• 0.5 container soft tofu (add in large chunks; container size was not specified)
• 2 tbsp gochujang (for the seasonings)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (for the seasonings)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil (for the seasonings)
• 1 tbsp gochugaru flakes (Korean red pepper flakes)
• 3 cloves garlic (grated)
• rice (serve hot alongside the stew; amount not specified)

Steps

1. 1

   Prepare the vegetables and kimchi: slice the onion and scallions, and slice or chop the kimchi. Separate the scallion whites from the greens, and set the kimchi juice aside.

2. 2

   In a bowl, combine the gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, gochugaru flakes, and grated garlic. Set the seasoning mixture aside.

3. 3

   Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned in its rendered fat.

4. 4

   Season the browned beef lightly with salt.

5. 5

   Add the kimchi and reserved kimchi juice to the pot. Sauté with the beef for a couple of minutes so the kimchi cooks down.

6. 6

   Add the sliced onion and scallion whites. Cook until the onion softens slightly.

7. 7

   Add the prepared seasoning mixture and stir well so it coats the beef and kimchi.

8. 8

   Pour in the water. Bring the stew to a simmer, then cook for 10–15 minutes.

9. 9

   Add the soft tofu in large chunks. Cover the pot and simmer for a few more minutes, until the tofu is heated through.

10. 10

    Garnish with the scallion greens. Serve the kimchi jjigae hot with rice.

Notes

The source does not specify the size of the soft-tofu container or the exact simmering time after the tofu is added. The spoken transcript notes that kimchi jjigae is often made with pork, but this version uses ground beef.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• soup
• stew
• Korean
• comfort food
• one-pot
• spicy
• Ramadan