I still can’t really believe that with all the cooking I did in Korea, I never made my own kimchi. A few weeks ago I picked up a GIANT head of Napa cabbage (practically the size of my torso) at the farmer’s market and decided it was time to make some. I used a recipe out of one of my Korean cookbooks, but figured I didn’t really need gochugaru (ground Korean red pepper), I could just use regular red pepper flakes instead. WRONG. That kimchi left a LOT to be desired, because it’s basically totally lacking in spiciness. I didn’t want to throw it away, though, so I bought a big bag of gochugaru (like I should have done in the first place) and decided to add it in whenever I use kimchi from this batch. That’s what I did here, and it worked perfectly.

I ate a lot of kimchi chigae in Korea. It’s just the right amount of tangy and spicy, and if you believe the students I taught, will cure absolutely any ailment you may have. I don’t know about that, but I do love the stuff. I found a recipe for it on No Recipes, and with a few changes, had this beautiful bowl of vegetarian kimchi chigae steaming in front of me in about 30 minutes. Every bowl of it I ate in Korea had silken tofu, which was delicious, but all I had on hand was extra firm, and I like how hearty it makes the soup, especially since I didn’t use any meat. I started with 1/2 cup of kimchi juice (just the liquid left over in the package or jar) and 1 cup of water, but as you can see in the picture, it’s not terribly soupy because I got distracted and let it boil a little too much. If yours starts looking dry, just add a little extra water or kimchi juice. I also completely forgot to add the gojuchang listed in the original recipe, and it still tasted great.

If you’re a strict vegetarian, read the label of your kimchi carefully – a lot of brands use fish products. I highly recommend making your own, and as soon as I make an acceptable batch, I will post a recipe!

Recipe:
(adapted from No Recipes)

Serves 2-3

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups kimchi, sliced
1/2 cup kimchi juice
1 cup water
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp yellow miso (or if you want to be really authentic, use doenjang)
pinch sugar
a few spoonfuls of gochugaru (if you want it spicy)
10 ounces extra firm tofu, diced
3 tbsp thinly sliced green onions

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring until soft.
Stir in the garlic and kimchi and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until very fragrant.
Add the water, kimchi juice, ginger, wine, soy sauce, miso, sugar, and gochugaru (if using) and stir well.
Mix in the tofu, then partially cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add additional liquid if it begins to look dry.
Sprinkle the green onions over the top, and serve alongside bowls of steamed rice.

A few years ago I bought a jar of kimchi and was seriously underwhelmed. I could not see how millions of people could possibly be so in love with spicy fermented cabbage. Was I missing something? I couldn’t even tell if it had gone bad or not, which is never a good sign.

Then I moved here and kimchi was EVERYWHERE. Yes, you run into the occasional person who doesn’t like it, but there are pots of fermenting vegetables on every rooftop in my neighborhood, and I have not had a single meal in a restaurant where a dish of it was not presented on the side. It didn’t take long for me to become completely addicted, and although I’m ashamed to say that I still haven’t tried making my own, I feel like something is missing if I don’t have some with my dinner.

My students are horrified to hear that I buy kimchi at the grocery store, but I just can’t commit to buying a vessel in which to make it, and what if it doesn’t turn out or I give myself food poisoning or I choose a bad recipe? It stresses me out just thinking about it, so for now I’ll stick with buying the oh-so-convenient packages of it from the refrigerator case near the produce section. I realize how ridiculous it is to be this intimidated by a few pounds of cabbage and some red pepper flakes, but it’s just my sad reality.

Note: If you’re vegetarian, inspect the kimchi carefully, because some varieties contain fish. Or be a braver soul than I am and make your own!

Recipe:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 block tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into thin rectangles
1/2 onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (I like a mix of brown and white)
2/3 cup chopped kimchi
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high. Add the tofu in a single layer (cook in batches if necessary) and cook until golden on all sides (toss the pan occasionally).
Add the onion and zucchini and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft.
Add the rice and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the kimchi and soy sauce, and mix well. Cook for about 2 minutes more, then serve.