Gamdongjeot-jjigae (Fermented Shrimp Relish Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small ttukbaegi or heavy 2-quart pot
• •Sharp knife and sturdy cutting board, or a small mortar
• •Measuring spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Make gamdongjeot base

   Chop the saeujeot and its brine until the shrimp are fine, almost a rough paste. Mix with the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, minced scallion white, and sesame oil. Let it stand 10 minutes. Whole shrimp leave sharp little pockets of salt in the stew; minced fine, they season the broth evenly.

   If you can buy prepared gamdongjeot from a Korean market, use 4 tablespoons and skip this mixing step. Taste it first. Some jars are much saltier than others.
2. 2

   Start the pork

   Set a small ttukbaegi or heavy 2-quart pot over medium heat. Add the neutral oil and pork, then cook 3 to 4 minutes until the edges turn opaque and a little fat loosens into the pot. Do not brown it hard. This stew wants clean pork body, not grilled-meat flavor.

3. 3

   Wake the relish

   Add 2 tablespoons of the gamdongjeot base and the rice wine. Stir for 30 seconds, just until the pork is coated and the relish smells rounded. Do not fry it dark. Fermented shrimp turns bitter if it scorches, and then the whole pot remembers your impatience.

4. 4

   Simmer the broth

   Pour in the rice-rinsing water and add the radish. Bring to a steady simmer, then cook 10 minutes, skimming once or twice if foam gathers. Rice-rinsing water softens the salt and gives the broth a little body; plain water works, but the stew will taste thinner.

5. 5

   Add tofu gently

   Slide in the tofu and simmer 5 minutes. Keep the heat steady, not violent, so the tofu warms through without breaking apart. Taste the broth now before adding anything else. It should be savory enough to season rice, not salty enough to tire your tongue.

6. 6

   Season by spoonful

   Add the remaining gamdongjeot base 1 teaspoon at a time, tasting after each addition. Most pots need 1 to 2 teaspoons more, not the whole bowl. If your saeujeot was mild, add the last bit; if it was strong, stop early. Use the 1/8 teaspoon salt only if the broth still tastes flat after the relish is used.

7. 7

   Finish and serve

   Scatter in the scallion lengths, green chili, and red chili if using. Simmer 1 minute, then turn off the heat and let the pot sit 2 minutes so the tofu settles into the broth. Carry it to the table with plain rice and mild banchan. This is not a stew that wants competition.

Chef Tips

• •Buy saeujeot from the refrigerated section of a Korean market if you can. The shrimp should smell fermented and clean, not harsh or rotten. If the brine tastes painfully salty, reduce the gamdongjeot base in the stew by a teaspoon and adjust at the end.
• •Do not replace saeujeot with Southeast Asian shrimp paste or fish sauce one for one. They are good ingredients in their own kitchens, but they bring a different fermentation and a different salt. For this dish, Korean salted shrimp is the spine.
• •Pork belly gives the roundest broth, pork shoulder gives a cleaner one. Use only 180g. More pork makes the stew heavy, and then the gamdongjeot has to fight to be heard.
• •The safe shortcut is the liquid: rice-rinsing water, plain water, or unsalted light stock will all cook. The corner you cannot cut is mincing the fermented shrimp fine and adding it in measured spoonfuls.

Advance Preparation

• •The gamdongjeot base can be mixed up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cooking so the sesame oil loosens.
• •The pork and radish can be cut a day ahead and refrigerated separately. Cut the tofu the day you cook, because stored cut tofu weeps and breaks more easily.
• •Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated. Reheat gently over medium-low heat. The tofu will soften and the fermented shrimp flavor will deepen overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)