Baek Kimchi Jjigae (White Kimchi Stew)

By Eric Kim

Published Aug. 24, 2022

Baek Kimchi Jjigae (White Kimchi Stew)
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
3 hours
Rating
4(228)
Comments
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This burbling kimchi jjigae is an everyday comfort, with its deep savoriness and gingery bite. In this variation using baek kimchi (white kimchi), the same warmth of other jjigaes is evoked even without red chiles, and lets you taste the cabbage more fully, especially once it’s cooked down to a tenderness that’s almost spoonable. A hunk of braised pork is always a good idea, especially when braised in the salty, savory and gingery aromas of fermented napa cabbage kimchi. In this stew, the kimchi does most of the heavy lifting, but depending on how flavorful your batch is, you can season to taste at the end with additional fish sauce. Don’t skip the white rice; it’s the soft, familiar foil against the zingy stew.

Featured in: ‘If You Can Make a Salad, You Can Make Kimchi’

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1pound boneless pork shoulder
  • 1(3-inch) piece fresh ginger, scrubbed and thickly sliced lengthwise
  • Salt
  • 2packed cups coarsely chopped ripe white kimchi (about 1 pound), plus any accumulated juices
  • 1medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 4garlic cloves, crushed and coarsely chopped
  • Fish sauce, to taste (optional)
  • 2scallions, thinly sliced at an angle
  • Cooked white rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

371 calories; 21 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 710 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the pork, ginger and 3 cups of cold water. Season with salt. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the pork is tender and almost falling apart, about 2 hours. You should have about 2 cups of pork broth in the pot; add more water if you don’t.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the kimchi, onion and garlic and continue simmering until the kimchi is very tender and the pork is absolutely falling apart, about 1 more hour. Taste the broth for seasoning, adding fish sauce as desired; otherwise season with more salt.

  3. Step 3

    Right before serving, garnish the top of the stew with the scallions, break the meat up and serve with the rice.

Tip
  • To make this stew in an Instant Pot: Add the pork, ginger, kimchi, onion, garlic and 2 cups cold water to a 3- to 6-quart Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. Season with salt. Gently stir and cover with the lid. Pressure-cook on high for 1 hour and let the pressure release naturally. Taste the broth for seasoning, adjusting with fish sauce or salt or both.

Ratings

4 out of 5
228 user ratings
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Comments

Danielle

Possibly the best soup ever. Absolute flavor bomb! My kimchi at 4wks.

emily

Left on low for 8hrs in my crockpot (2cups water). Added onions and kimchi at 6hrs (probably could have added them in sooner, but I didn't want them to be totally mushy). White kimchi from Ranch99 Pork shoulder from Whole foods

Rachelle Vanderwyst

Could you make this with chicken? Not a rotisserie chicken of course. On a sidenote, rotisserie chicken has some thing oily poured all over it when it’s roasting. I know I wouldn’t use that.

Kelly

Quick, easy, and beloved by our family. I make it in the instant pot.

Sara B

My new favorite soup. Very easy to make, especially in Instant Pot, and it is an absolute flavor explosion. We used red kimchi and it was great.

Meg

Very good. I made it in the instant pot with a bit less than a pound of pork stew meat (cooked for 20 minutes at high altitude, with full natural release). It was delicious. I like spicy, so next time I’ll try either a spicier kimchi or add some gochujang or red pepper.

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