r/KoreanFood • u/urspacegirl7 • Jul 12 '25
Soups and Jjigaes 🍲 Kimchi Jjigae attempt! Did I pass? hahahaha
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u/PrettyLilAnalFissure Jul 12 '25
OP you're getting comments saying too much this and not enough that, but there are a thousand different ways to cook kimchi jjigae and yours looks just fine.
I live in Korea and frequently cook with my partner, who is Korean. When he saw me reach for gochujang the first time we made kimchi jjigae together he insisted that most recipes that Koreans follow don't actually use it (I just checked the most popular recipes on the 만개의레시피 app and only one out of the top 10 used gochujang), and he frequently adds in huge amounts of tofu and enoki mushrooms just like you. As long as it tasted good to you, then you passed!
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u/urspacegirl7 Jul 13 '25
hehe thank you for this! That's so sweet! My family really loved it because it's also my first time cooking this.
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u/paradigm_shift32 Jul 13 '25
Ladies and gentlemen, let it be known there is no right way to make kimchi jjigae. Everyone makes it to their own preferences. All you can do is try to make it taste better to your own liking after making it many times over.
With that said, a couple of things I always do when making kimchi jjigae are
always cook well fermented kimchi first in the pot with a little bit of sesame oil and kimchi juice. This gives the soup a good, strong kimchi taste.
for protein, I always use korean canned tuna. Korean canned tuna has bigger chunks than American ones. Once in a while, I'll use spam, but tuna goes so well with the kimchi and the soup.
OP and others who love kimchi jjigae, you should try making kimchi soup with bean sprouts. Very easy to make and its very refreshing. It's one of my favorite gookbaps. https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kongnamul-kimchiguk
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u/seoulifornia Jul 12 '25
Too much water. Also, did you use gochujang? It will help get it a little thicker.
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u/Arlieth Jul 13 '25
Uhh, what recipe did you use for this? It's almost like you added soy sauce into the broth or something.
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u/IzzyBella5725 Jul 12 '25
Everything looks good but where is the kimchi? Did you not add enough of the juice?
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u/urspacegirl7 Jul 12 '25
I added kimchi and its juice also! It got hidden with the tofus hhahahahah
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u/IzzyBella5725 Jul 12 '25
Usually kimchi jjigae is a much deeper orange colour. Was the kimchi you used fresh or fermented? Usually kimchi jjigae is made with aged kimchi. As long as it tasted good though
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u/KoreanKore Jul 13 '25
I wouldve guessed this was doenjjang jjigae (된장찌개) - soybean stew. Colors is definitely a bit off for a kimchi jjigae.
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u/Ruffshots Jul 12 '25
Not nearly red enough. Too much water, too many ingredients other than the kimchi. Probably tastes good though.
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u/Jenniyaaah Jul 12 '25
No that doesn’t even look a little bit like kimchi jjigae~~where’s the kimchi? And it’s not thick enough. That looks more like a soup, but I’m sure it’s still very tasty.
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u/dracoassasin Jul 12 '25
I mean it looks good as in it looks like it would taste good but doesn't really look like kimchi jjigae to me. Looks more like a Chinese dish and especially have never seen mushrooms in kimchi jjigae before.
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u/DangOlCoreMan Jul 12 '25
Take what I say with a grain of salt as I'm not Korean, nor do I know much about Korean culture, but it was my understanding that kimchi jjigae is mostly a base stew that you can really add any additional ingredients to.
For example, I follow maangchis kimchi jjigae recipe, but I also add a bunch of shiitake mushrooms, I treat it as a hot pot with thin sliced beef, and will even add fish balls if I'm feeling it
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u/dracoassasin Jul 12 '25
Well that's the thing, it's technically its own dish and yeah while there are definitely different variations all over Korea, it would still need to be reasonably Korean-style with Korean ingredients. You even just said you treat it as hot pot (which isn't really Korean) and add shiitake mushrooms (which aren't Korean).
Now I'm not gonna food police you, you can add whatever you want to whatever dish to make it taste good, go ahead and enjoy whatever you want man, but my point is that it didn't really look Korean is my point. Like if I were to randomly add spaghetti and meatballs, a pizza slice, and a hamburger into a bowl of kimchi jjigae (a little extreme example I know and a disgusting thought), would that still be kimchi jjigae?
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u/DangOlCoreMan Jul 12 '25
Soooooooo... What you're saying is a can name my own dish version of kimchi jjigae? Sweet!
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u/lindsss0915 Jul 13 '25
I didnt know there was a right or wrong way to make a stew. Stew is stew.
Looks like a scrumptious kimchi sundubu jjigae to me :))
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u/Mystery-Ess Jul 13 '25
That's not sundubu. That's dubu. Sundubu hasn't been pressed and is soft like an egg white.
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u/Intrepid_Parsley_161 Jul 13 '25
The most important thing is if it is to your liking is all that matters. Like others have said theres many ways to make it and youre making it for you and your family and not theirs.
But if you are looking to add to your recipe, a few tips that will help you take your kimchijjigae to the next level if youre not already doing them
Start with a broth made with anchovies and kelp. You can find these kind of like tea bags. Or you could do a dasida or chicken bouillon. Even a packet of like a Korean Ramen soup packet will do a lot.
The water after you wash rice, use that as your water for the jjjgae. But throw away the first wash water since to remove any dust and such and use the 2nd and 3rd wash water. The starch will help thicken your soup if you like it that way.
If you eat meat a little meat of your preference can go a long way. Just skim the fat or youre gonna have the greasiest lips! LOL
If your kimchi is very ripe/old, and too sour, a little sugar can help balance that out.
If your kimchi is not ripe enough, you can add a little vinegar to create a slightly more ripe kimchi flavor.