Kimchi Jjigae with Potato

I'm a big fan of all things Korean, but I've got a somewhat North American aversion to soft tofu - sometimes I like it, oftentimes I don't. As a result I've adapted Maangchi's and The Korean Vegan's kimchi jjigae recipes to drop the tofu and up the potato, which resulted in a new family favorite! (If you enjoy a bit of jiggly tofu in your life, then follow the links and you'll get squared away.)

Kimchi Jjigae with Potato

(5 servings)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

1/2 medium onion (diced or sliced)

5 cloves of garlic (crushed/minced)

3 green onions (sliced/divided*)

1 tablespoon of gochugaru

3 cups of broth

2 cups of kimchi** (diced)

1/4 cup of kimchi juice*** (optional)

1 medium potato (cubed)

1 tablespoon of dried shrimp (optional)

1 tablespoon of gochujang

3 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of roasted sesame oil

Black pepper (to taste)

Dried seaweed or kelp (to taste)

Rice (to serve)

*Divide the whites/stalk from the greens.

**Traditionally kimchi includes fish in one form or another, but there are vegan options around. Obviously pick one of the later if you want this recipe to be vegetarian/vegan or strictly fasting. I like to cut my kimchi into smaller pieces (makes for less messy eating later), but if you like it chunky obviously skip the dicing.

***I don't usually drain my kimchi when I'm setting it aside, so if the jar's running low on extra juice I'll usually just skip the added juice.

Directions

1) Put the vegetable oil in a medium pot or wok over medium heat and sauté the onion until it starts to soften and become translucent.

2) Stir in the garlic and whites from the green onions and sauté for a minute or two.

3) Add the gochugaru and continue sautéing for another minute until fragrant.

4) Pour in the broth together with the kimchi, kimchi juice (if using), potato, dried shrimp (if using), gochujang, sugar, sesame oil, black pepper, and seaweed, bring everything to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer the stew until the potato reaches your desired level of doneness. (I think 15 minutes did it for me with the size of potato cubes I was working with.)

5) Serve garnished with the greens from the green onions either on its own or over some rice (half a cup works nicely for my tastes), and enjoy!