Kimchi Jjigae

I LOVE Korean (especially Kimchi), I especially enjoy hot they handle spiciness (nuclear strength ftw).

And since this recipe is simple AND the ingredients are carried at my local grocery I am set :)

http://korean-cuisine.blogspot.com/2008/06/kimchi-jjigae.html

If I'm feeling particularly lazy, I'll just make it with kimchi, sesame oil, garlic, and water. It still tastes just as good, but today I had some vegetables (onion and mushrooms) and tofu (which expires today) to get rid of so I used them as well.

-First I heat a dol sot (a pot made of stone((any pot will do as well)) with about 1 tb of sesame oil and then I throw in 3/4 tb of minced garlic.

-I cut sam gyup sal (pork bacon?) into small pieces and stir away until the pink is almost all gone.

-Then I add some onions.

-If your kimchi is really well fermented you don't really need to add gochujang (red pepper paste), but the kimchi I had isn't as fermented as it should be so I added about 3/4 tb of gochujang to make the soup thicker.

-Mix around until everything is well coated and done.

-Add some kimchi and I also add about 5-6 tb of kimchi gookmool (the juices from the kimchi). I often buy the Cosmos brand from the store.

-Add just enough water to cover everything and then add the tofu and mushrooms.

-I cook my kimchi jjigae for at least 45 minutes. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes. If you feel that you're running out of water, just add a little more and keep cooking! I finished it off with some green onions and some slices of gochu (Korean peppers).