Kimchi Jjim (Braised Kimchi)

Published 05/03/2023. Updated 05/01/2023

If you like kimchi jjigae (stew), try this kimchi jjim (braised kimchi). Slow cooked with a small amount of liquid and fatty pork, braised kimchi is tender and packed with flavors.

Kimchi jjim (or kimchijjim, 김치찜) is a braised kimchi dish. It’s typically made with pork, but you can use other meat if you like. In Korea, kimchi jjim made with mackerel is also popular. Because the kimchi is slow braised, this recipe uses less liquid than the amount used for kimchi jjigae (stew). The resulting dish is drier than kimchi stew but with deliciously concentrated flavors!

Aged kimchi

Every year in late fall, I make enough kimchi to last through the winter and spring. By this point, the kimchi has aged and is very sour with intense flavor, making it perfect for stews or soups! Another favorite dish made with aged kimchi is kimchi jjim (김치찜), braised kimchi.

In Korea, mukeunji (묵은지), which is traditional poggi kimchi that has aged over at least a six-month period, is commonly used for this dish. The flavor of that old kimchi is quite intense. Your favorite Korean restaurants might have a dish or two made with mukeunji, such as mukeunji jjim (braised with pork, usually) and mukeunji godeungeo jorim (braised kimchi with mackerel).

Don’t worry! Your kimchi doesn’t need to be 6 months old for you to make this dish. However, it’s best to use well fermented kimchi that has turned sour. The older the better! If you don’t have homemdade kimchi, your Korean market may carry commercially made poggi kimchi.

The meat

As I always say, kimchi and fatty pork is a match made in heaven. Fatty pork is most favored for kimchi jjigae in Korea. Not surprisingly, pork ribs are common and delicious in kimchi stew. Pre-boil the ribs until fairly tender, 20 to 30 minutes, and then cook with kimchi. If you don’t like pork, use beef.

Tips for making good kimchi jjim

Old, sour kimchi is best for this dish.
Use the water used to rinse rice (ssalddeumul, 쌀뜨물) for the braising liquid. It’s commonly used for Korean stews. Use the water from the second or third round of rinsing. The rice water thickens the broth slightly and enhances the flavor of the braised kimchi. Otherwise Anchovy broth, chicken broth, milky bone broth or vegetable broth will also be great for this dish.
If juice from kimchi is available, it will add lots of flavor to the broth.
You can cut kimchi into small pieces before cooking, but in Korea it’s commonly made with the quarter cabbage intact as shown in the photo below and cut at the table.
If the kimchi is overly sour to your taste, add a little bit of sugar to the stew to balance out the sour taste. It rounds up the flavor nicely, but it’s not absolutely necessary if you don’t want to use sugar.

More recipes with old kimchi

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