kimchi stew (kimchi chigae)

[onyx]

3 cups kimchi
1 cup potatoes
8 oz/1 cup canned tuna
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable, olive, corn, canola, etc)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
beef broth, anchovy broth or kombu dashi to cover

1.) cut kimchi into 1 inch lengths (bite sized pieces)

2.) heat up a pan. fry the kimchi, garlic and ginger with some oil. when it's cooked for a bit, add the tuna- be sure to drain it well first, also add the soy sauce. stir it for while then add the broth to cover the kimchi & bring it to a boil. when it comes to a boil, add the potatoes. simmer for about 40 minutes.

when you're kimchi has gone sour or isn't tasty, rinse it in some water first before using it in the stew.

you can also use beef or pork with kimchi stew, but you will have to marinate the beef or pork with some bulgogi sauce. you can make your own bulgogi sauce or buy some pre-made.

if you want to make it, here's how (this is the quick version):
enough for 1 lb:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons rice wine (Sake)
2 tablespoons pear juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds


i forgot to add that if you use the pork or beef, then after you marinate it in the bulgogi sauce, fry it with some oil & garlic, then add soy sauce, then the kimchi & the water & all that. lol (but i'm sure you guys figured that out for yourselves. )

[gone_tropical]

that sounds yummy... but honestly, when I was in Seoul last year, it smelt like kimchi everywhere , I think I even dreamt of Kimchi. I know there are lots of different kimchi varieties, which one is not quite so pungent? .... a lady down the street makes it herself, behind the house, and believe me, I can tell you exactly when its ready .... any brand name/jar you can recommend?

[onyx]

that sounds yummy... but honestly, when I was in Soul last year, it smelt like kimchi everywhere , I think I even dreamt of Kimchi. I know there are lots of different kimchi varieties, which one is not quite so pungent? .... a lady down the street makes it herself, behind the house, and believe me, I can tell you exactly when its ready .... any brand name/jar you can recommend?

wooo! hehe

well, for kimchi stew, they use regular chinese cabbage kimchi.. how old it is determines the pungency of it. you can eat it fresh & it taste more like cabbage, but the older it gets the more sour it gets.

i would just go ask the korean lady for some kimchi! lol that's the best kind! you can also make some yourself:


(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeBR91ypxk4 - just in case it doesn't show up right)

in addition to the stuff in that video, i like to put some julienned carrots, watercress, hot pepper threads & green onions to mine. i leave out the oysters, though cause i can't eat those (religious thing). hehe

but if you don't have the time to make some & don't wanna ask the nice lady, if you have an asian store in your area, you can just go there & get a jar or a bag of it. only thing is that it has MSG in it a lot of times :/ if you have a korean store in the area, a lot of times they have some kimchi they make themselves, which would also be good. here there's a korean store that makes their own kimchi & they put the date it was made on there, so you can tell how old it is. i wouldn't recommend the kind that you can get at a normal grocery store, cause they don't taste very good. you can also buy some online that's pre-cut: http://www.koamart.com/shop/53-2053-...chi_17_6oz.asp

here's some helpful ingredients if you wanna make it yourself:

coarse grain salt

pepper threads

red pepper powder

fish sauce

the rest of the stuff you can find at a normal grocery store. and instead of, or in addition to the oysters, lots of people use shrimp. so you could get a little baggy of frozen raw shrimp & just use those.

oh.. as for other kinda kimchi.. there's cucumber kimchi (oisobagi oikimchi), kakktoogi (which in the video link i posted, you learn how to make that kind, too), water radish kimchi, mustard leaf kimchi (very yummy), gochu kimchi (pepper kimchi.. my favorite kind!! and i can't make it lol).. there's all kinda kimchi.. very delicious.

[gone_tropical]

ohno , I don't want to make it myself ... (thinking of an excuse.....) .... I don't have a kimchi pot

the pepper kimchi sounds good, why can't you make it? and yes, I have a Korean store/super market not far from us.... I love the frutis (dragon fruits, Lychees, etc.)... I do stay away from the fresh fish section (thinking squid here... or the dried squid, nope can't get myself to eat that one)

[onyx]

ohno , I don't want to make it myself ... (thinking of an excuse.....) .... I don't have a kimchi pot

the pepper kimchi sounds good, why can't you make it? and yes, I have a Korean store/super market not far from us.... I love the frutis (dragon fruits, Lychees, etc.)... I do stay away from the fresh fish section (thinking squid here... or the dried squid, nope can't get myself to eat that one)

LOL i have tried the dried squid (before i got religious) & it tastes like how catfish bait smells.. not my cup of tea. lol so i can't blame ya on that one! lol i bet they have some yummy kimchi at that store, though. so you might just hop over there one day when you're in the neighborhood & see what they got

i can't make it, because i don't know how & i have only found 1 recipe in english for a pepper kimchi & it's not the one i like.. so i buy it by the tub for 40.00 every couple months.. -_- lol i asked one of my friends to translate the recipe form korean for me (cause i found one that looks like the kind i want!), but he said it is too much trouble & won't do it (he didn't put it quite like that, but that was the jist of it. lol) so i can't make it, yet. it is very yummy (very very spicy!!).. it's sweet, crunchy, salty, savory & spicy all at the same time.. *drools*