Kimchi Jjim
Braised pork belly in a savory-spicy kimchi broth, topped with melted tofu and scallions. A warming Korean comfort dish ready in under 50 minutes.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 580
- Protein
- 42g
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs pork belly, skin removed
- 2 cups kimchi, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup kimchi juice (from the jar)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 14 oz firm tofu, cut into 4 thick slabs
- 3 whole scallions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- 1
Place the pork belly on a cutting board and cut it lengthwise into four equal strips, each about 1.5 inches wide, cutting through both the fat and meat layers.
- 2
Cut each pork strip crosswise into 2-inch chunks so you have roughly 12–16 pieces; set aside.
- 3
Place a 5-quart heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with no oil and let it warm for 60 seconds until the bottom feels hot when you hover your hand 2 inches above it.
- 4
Lay the pork chunks skin-side down in the hot pot in a single layer; do not move them for 4 minutes until the skin is golden brown and has released fat.
- 5
Turn each pork chunk over using tongs so the fat side faces up; cook without moving for 3 minutes until the meat side is light brown.
- 6
Pour in the kimchi juice (0.75 cup), soy sauce (2 tablespoons), and water (1 cup); stir once to combine and loosen any stuck-on brown bits from the pot bottom.
- 7
Add the chopped kimchi and crushed garlic cloves; stir gently to distribute them around and under the pork.
- 8
Sprinkle the sugar (1 tablespoon) over the pork; bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, watching for large bubbles breaking the surface.
- 9
Reduce heat to medium-low and cover with a lid; simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the pork is tender when pierced with a fork.
- 10
Uncover and lay the tofu slabs on top of the pork and kimchi in a single layer, nestling them into the braising liquid so they are half-submerged.
- 11
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes until the tofu is heated through and has absorbed some of the kimchi flavors; you will see steam rising when you peek under the lid.
- 12
Scatter the sliced scallions over the top of the pot; stir gently once to incorporate them into the braising liquid.
- 13
Ladle the pork, tofu, kimchi, and braising liquid into four shallow bowls, making sure each serving gets at least three pork chunks and one tofu slab.
Tools you’ll need
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- 5-quart heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven with lid
- wooden spoon
- tongs
- ladle
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
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