Gochujang-jjigae (Red Chili Paste Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Ttukbaegi (Korean earthenware pot) or 2-quart heavy saucepan
• •Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
• •Sharp knife for even vegetable cuts

Instructions

1. 1

   Render the pork

   Set a ttukbaegi or small heavy pot over medium heat. Add the pork belly and cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the edges turn opaque and a tablespoon or so of fat gathers in the bottom. If you are using lean pork shoulder, add the teaspoon of oil first. This fat is not extra richness for its own sake; it is what will soften the gochujang's raw bite.

2. 2

   Cook the paste

   Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the gochujang, gochugaru if using, and minced garlic, then stir constantly for 60 to 90 seconds. The paste should darken slightly and smell rounder, but it must not scorch. If it sticks hard to the pot, splash in 1 tablespoon of broth and keep stirring.

   This is the step people skip. Raw gochujang dissolved in water tastes sharp; gochujang cooked briefly in fat tastes like stew.
3. 3

   Add broth and potato

   Pour in the broth slowly, scraping the bottom of the pot so the cooked paste dissolves into the liquid. Add the potato and bring the stew to a steady simmer. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, until a chopstick goes halfway into a potato piece with some resistance. Potato goes first because it needs time, and because it sweetens the broth as it cooks.

4. 4

   Simmer the vegetables

   Add the onion and zucchini and simmer 5 to 6 minutes. Keep the stew moving gently, not violently. Onion should soften, zucchini should bend at the edge but still hold its green shape. If you boil it hard now, you get mush and no one at the table will thank you for speed.

5. 5

   Season the broth

   Stir in the soup soy sauce and the fish sauce or saeujeot if using. Taste before adding salt. Gochujang brands vary widely, so the last seasoning must come from the spoon, not habit. Add up to 1/4 teaspoon salt only if the broth tastes full but a little quiet.

   Do not fix a bland stew by adding more gochujang first. More paste brings sweetness and thickness as well as salt, and soon the vegetables disappear under it.
6. 6

   Warm the tofu

   Slide in the tofu and simmer 3 minutes, just until warmed through. Stir around it, not through it, so the cubes stay whole. Tofu is there to carry the broth gently; treat it roughly and the stew turns cloudy and broken.

7. 7

   Finish and serve

   Scatter the green chili and scallions over the top and simmer 1 more minute. Turn off the heat and add the small finish of sesame oil if you like that roundness. Carry the pot to the table with rice and one clean banchan, something cool or crisp. This stew is strong enough; the table around it should know restraint.

Chef Tips

• •Choose a gochujang that tastes balanced when you touch a little to your tongue: salty, sweet, fermented, and warm. If it tastes mostly sugar, use 1 1/2 tablespoons first and build the seasoning with soup soy sauce.
• •Anchovy-kelp broth gives the cleanest backbone, but rice-rinsing water is a proper home shortcut. Use the cloudy second rinse from washing rice, not the dirty first rinse. It gives the stew body without making another pot.
• •Potato and zucchini are the plain weeknight pair. In summer, use more zucchini. In colder months, add a few mushrooms or extra potato. Cook the month you're standing in.
• •Canned tuna can replace pork for a fast pantry version. Add the tuna after the potato has softened, not at the beginning, or it breaks down too much. The core technique still stays: cook the gochujang briefly in oil first.
• •Leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently and add a splash of water, because potato thickens the broth overnight.

Advance Preparation

• •Anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Pull the kelp out when the water first simmers, then simmer the anchovies 8 minutes more for a clean broth.
• •The pork and vegetables can be cut in the morning and kept covered in the refrigerator. Keep potato submerged in cold water so it does not discolor, then drain it well before cooking.
• •Do not fully cook this stew ahead for company. It is still good reheated, but zucchini and tofu are better when they meet the pot shortly before dinner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 415g)