Pork & Tofu Kimchi Jjigae

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g boneless pork shoulder
• 300 g well-fermented cabbage kimchi, with its juice
• 400 g firm tofu
• 2 tbsp gochujang + 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 brown onion (about 150 g)
• 3 spring onions + 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 700 ml water
• 180 g sushi rice + 220 ml water (for cooking)

🍴 Utensils

• Casserole pot or large saucepan
• Saucepan with a lid (for the rice)
• Colander
• Chopping board
• Knife
• Kitchen scissors

📖 Steps

1. Rinse the rice in the sieve under cold water, rubbing it between your fingers, until the water runs almost clear. Put it in the saucepan with 220 ml water, bring to the boil, cover and cook for 12 min over a low heat, then leave to stand off the heat for 10 min without lifting the lid.
2. Meanwhile, cut the pork shoulder into thin slices 3 to 4 mm thick (15 min in the freezer makes slicing easier). Slice the onion into half-moons, chop the garlic and cut the spring onions into 3 cm lengths, keeping the whites separate from the greens.
3. Cut the kimchi into 2 cm pieces with scissors, directly over a bowl to catch all its juice. Drain the tofu and cut it into 2 cm cubes, handling it gently.
4. Heat the sesame oil in the casserole pot over a medium heat. Fry the pork for 3 to 4 min, stirring, until it is no longer pink and starts to brown, releasing a little fat.
5. Add the kimchi (without its juice), onion, garlic and spring onion whites. Cook for 5 min over a medium heat, stirring, until the kimchi turns translucent and the onion is soft, then stir in the gochujang, chilli flakes and sugar and mix for 1 min.
6. Pour in the 700 ml water and the kimchi juice, scrape the bottom to loosen the caramelised bits and bring to the boil over a high heat. Lower to medium-low, cover three-quarters of the way with the lid and simmer for 15 min: the broth turns orange-red and the pork becomes tender.
7. Taste the broth before adding the soy sauce (only half if it's already quite salty, as kimchi is very salty). Gently add the tofu cubes without stirring too much so they don't break, and simmer for 5 min to heat them through.
8. Sprinkle with the spring onion greens, turn off the heat and serve piping hot in bowls, with the rice on the side: the Korean way is to take a spoonful of rice and dip it into the spicy broth.