ContentsView article sectionsAbout the South of Seoul ‘A Year to Learn Korean Cooking’ SeriesAbout Kimchi jjigaeBiggest Hurdle When Making Kimchi jjigaeThree Recommended Videos to watch on Kimchi jjigaeKorean American Kimchi jjigaeKorean Kimchi jjigaeAmerican In Korea Kimchi jjigaeLet Us Know How It Turns OutLearn more recipes in our Year to learn Korean Cooking seriesJoin the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook GroupVolunteer with South of SeoulToday let’s learn about cooking kimchi jjigae (김치찌개) at home! Kimchi jjigae is a delicious, flavorful stew in Korea that is just plain comfort food. You can find it in many restaurants and homes all across Korea. About the South of Seoul ‘A Year to Learn Korean Cooking’ Series Many of us live in South Korea for only a year. Time flies past faster than we can imagine. At South of Seoul, we decided to create a simple series that will offer 2-4 dishes to learn each month so that when you leave South Korea you have a slew of new dishes you feel comfortable making anywhere. In this post you will learn about cooking Kimchijjigae, a popular winter dish in South Korea. This series is a collaboration with Kimchi Rednecks. In 2020 they created the first blog in this series Online Resources for Learning to Cook Korean Food. These two love to have adventures in the kitchen and share the results with their community. Be sure to follow Kimchi Rednecks on YouTube for other great videos about living life in South Korea. About Kimchi jjigae Kimchi jjigae could be considered a love language in South Korea. This spicy, warm, and tangy dish exists as one of the quintessential Korean comfort foods. When the weather is a bit off or your heart is a little sad, kimchi jjigae can make it all seem a little better. The flavor profile of this dish will vary based on the quality and style of two key ingredients: kimchi and gochujang. If your kimchi is well-aged the flavor profile will be deeper and tangier. If you use less gochujang you will get a less ‘muddy’ taste. Each restaurant and person will have a slightly different style so you may have to adjust the recipe to find your perfect version. Biggest Hurdle When Making Kimchi jjigae Access to aged kimchi can be a hurdle for those new to Korea. Cooking kimchijjigae usually requires VERY old kimchi to get the best flavor and you may only have access to ‘fresh’ kimchi. Do not let this keep you from making your first kimchijjigae. The dish can still come out light and nice. Don’t get disappointed when your kimchijjigae doesn’t taste as deep and rich as those with 1-year-old kimchi available. Just put some kimchi aside for your jjigae next winter. Three Recommended Videos to watch on Kimchi jjigae The truth is, it’s hard to get kimchi jjigae wrong since you can simply keep adding a little of this and a little of that until you like it. We don’t usually use actual recipes or measurements. We just ‘feel’ it. However, before you can ‘feel it’ it’s nice to use a few recipes as a guide. We have chosen a few different cultural views of this traditional Korean dish. Watch these three versions of kimchi jjigae and then attempt one of your own! Korean American Kimchi jjigae Korean Kimchi jjigae American In Korea Kimchi jjigae Let Us Know How It Turns Out When you try cooking Kimchi jjigae for the first time, be sure to leave a comment and let us know how it went! If you live in Pyeongtaek you can even share your success (or failure) with us in the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook group. Learn more recipes in our Year to learn Korean Cooking series Join the Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook Group You are also welcome to join our Pyeongtaek Food & Fun Facebook Group. The South of Seoul moderated community of active and friendly Pyeongtaek international residents makes moving to Pyeongtaek easier. With so many different voices and opinions, it is always refreshing to see everyone’s adventures in our local community. In addition, all of the posts shared introduce our community to new places and old places that can feel new all over again. Volunteer with South of Seoul Interested in working with a fun team of talented volunteers? The South of Seoul volunteer team is always looking for other like-minded folks to research information, compile blogs, and edit content. SOUTH OF SEOUL EDITORIAL INFORMATION Article Information & History Historical Record Originally written by South of Seoul Originally published January 3, 2022 Article History September 12, 2023 Article edited Less than 1% of the article changed October 25, 2022 Article edited About 7% of the article changed October 4, 2022 Article edited Less than 1% of the article changed October 4, 2022 Article edited About 18% of the article changed January 3, 2022 Originally published Written by South of Seoul No formal audit has been recorded for this article under the current South of Seoul editorial process. Historical article: This article has not yet been formally audited under South of Seoul’s current editorial process. It remains available as part of our publishing history and may contain information that has changed since publication. Before You Act South of Seoul articles document information available at a particular point in time. 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