Jjaglie (짜글이, Reduced Pork-and-Chili Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot or shallow braising pan, 3 to 4 quart capacity
• •Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
• •Sharp knife for even potato cuts

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the paste

   Stir together the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, soup soy sauce, doenjang, rice wine, sugar, garlic, and ginger. The doenjang is not there to make the stew taste like soybean paste. It gives depth under the chili, so the gochujang does not flatten everything into one red taste.

2. 2

   Brown the pork

   Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork in one layer and brown it for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once or twice. You are not cooking it through yet; you are giving the fat a chance to render and the meat a browned edge before the sauce goes in.

3. 3

   Coat with seasoning

   Lower the heat to medium. Add the seasoning paste to the pork and stir for 1 minute, just until it darkens and clings. Do not let it scorch. Gochujang has sugar in it, and burned chili paste turns bitter fast.

4. 4

   Add vegetables

   Add the potatoes and onion and turn them through the red paste until every surface is stained. Cut the potatoes no larger than 3/4 inch, because this stew reduces quickly and large chunks will still be hard when the sauce is ready.

5. 5

   Simmer uncovered

   Pour in 2 1/2 cups broth or water and scrape the bottom of the pot clean. Bring it to a boil, then lower to a lively simmer and cook uncovered for 22 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then. Uncovered is the point. The potatoes soften while the liquid reduces into a thick, salty sauce for rice.

6. 6

   Reduce hard

   When the potatoes are tender, raise the heat slightly and reduce for 5 to 8 minutes more, stirring often so the bottom does not catch. Stop when about 3/4 cup thick sauce remains and the bubbles sound small and sticky. Jjaglie is not soup. If a spoonful runs like broth, cook it longer.

   Mark the level on a wooden spoon the first time you cook it. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway, so the next pot can be made on purpose.
7. 7

   Finish the pot

   Fold in the scallions and sliced chilies and cook 1 minute, just until they soften at the edges. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Taste once. It should be strong enough for rice, not pleasant to drink from a spoon.

8. 8

   Serve over rice

   Scatter with sesame seeds and carry the pot to the table with hot rice. Spoon pork, potato, and thick sauce over the rice and mix at the edge of the bowl as you eat. This is weeknight food, but weeknight food still deserves exact hands.

Chef Tips

• •Pork shoulder and pork neck are better here than lean loin. You need some fat to carry the chili paste and keep the meat tender through the reduction.
• •Anchovy-kelp broth gives a cleaner base, but water is honest in this dish. If using water, do not add extra gochujang to compensate. Add 1/2 teaspoon more soup soy sauce only if the finished pot tastes flat.
• •The safe shortcut is the broth: water works. The unsafe shortcut is skipping the reduction. This stew earns its name only when the liquid cooks down and the sauce grips the pork and potatoes.
• •If your gochujang is very sweet, cut the sugar to 1 teaspoon. The stew should have a little roundness, not a candy edge.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the pork and vegetables up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate them separately. Keep the potatoes covered with cold water, then drain well before cooking.
• •The seasoning paste can be mixed up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Stir it before using, because the gochugaru will thicken it as it sits.
• •Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated. Reheat gently with 2 to 3 tablespoons water, only enough to loosen the sauce, because leftover jjaglie should still be thick.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)