Kimchi doen jang

Budae-jjiggae (Army Base Stew) Budae-jjiggae
This dish results from Korea's painful history. During the Korean war, and for a time afterwards, people had little to eat. Most people had to fill their stomachs with the food distributed on the street called Kkulkkulijuk (meaning "pig's gruel"). People made this dish by combining left-over Spam and hot dogs from U.S. Army restaurants and whatever ele was available. All the left-overs were put into pot with water and boiled.

These days, restaurants usually use ramyeon noodles, ddeok (Korean rice cakes), sausages, meat, and goch'ujang paste for a hot and spicy taste, which Koreans like the most. To get the right taste of this dish, Spam sausage should be added.

How to eat: Eaten with a bowl of rice. Most Koreans mix rice with spoonfuls of stew.


Cheonggukjang-jjiggae (Fast Fermented Bean Paste Stew) Cheonggukjang-jjiggae
Fast fermented bean paste is created by boiling the new crop of soy bean in the autumn then storing in a warm place for several days. Salt, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper are added to the fermented beans, then the mixture is rolled into small balls.

Ch'eonggukjang-jjiggae is made from this paste by adding it to minced beef, shredded cabbage kimchi or sliced radishes, tofu, green onions, and garlic.

How to eat: Eaten with a bowl of rice. Most Koreans mix rice with spoonfuls of stew.


Doenjang-jjigae (Bean Paste Stew) Doenjang-jjigae
If Koreans were asked to nominate a national dish, they would probably name doenjang jjigae. It is eaten very frequently throughout the country. The key to the flavor lies in the quality of the bean paste. Bean paste is made early each Lunar year by soaking meju (bean paste blocks shaped like bricks) in brine for forty days and then draining off the soy sauce this produces. The residue is mashed into a yellow paste.

Other ingredients of doenjang jjigae can be tofu, clam meat, pork or beef, but some recipes are meatless. Seasonal vegetables such as zucchini, spinach, green peppers, and onions can also be added. Seasonings include garlic, anchovies, red pepper powder, and salt. A more exotic recipe, known as kungjung doenjang jjigae (royal soybean paste soup) calls for beef, mushrooms, tofu, and gingko nuts.

How to eat: Eaten with a bowl of rice. Most Koreans mix rice with spoonfuls of stew.

Galbi-jjim (Short Rib Stew) Galbi-jjim
Koreans are proud of their method for cooking spareribs which are often served at celebrations and can often be found as part of a higher priced meal in an upscale restaurant.

The ribs are cooked for an hour with pyogo mushrooms, carrots, ginkgo nuts, and jujubes in a sauce that contains soy sauce, green onions, garlic, sugar, pepper, sesame seeds, sesame oil, pear juice, ginger juice, and water. The mixture is served with vegetables and decorated with egg strips and pine nuts.

How to eat: Usually served as a side dish.

Gopchang-jeongol (Seasoned Entrails and Vegetable Stew) Gopchang-jeongol
This casserole dish is served as a main dish or as a side dish while drinking. Beef entrails are boiled until tender and seasoned with red pepper powder and oil or fat. Then they are cooked again in beef broth with vegetables in a wide, round pan at your table. Cooked noodles are added during the last minute of cooking.

How to eat: Eaten with a bowl of rice. Most Koreans mix rice with spoonfuls of stew.

Kimchi-jjiggae (Kimchi Stew) Kimchi-jjiggae
Along with doenjang-jjigae, this is one of the most common home dishes for common people. Baechu kimchi (cabbage kimchi) makes the best ingredient for this stew. Ripened sour kimchi is sliced and sauteed in salad oil. Then the sauteed kimchi, bean curd, other available vegetables, tteok (Korean rice cake), and noodles are mixed with pork, beef, or sea food (such as oysters) and cooked as a stew. The amount of water and hot pepper paste determine the level of taste and spiciness.

How to eat: Eaten with a bowl of rice. Most Koreans mix rice with spoonfuls of stew.

Nakji-jeongol (Octopus Stew) Nakji-jeongol
Seasoned octopus and vegetables are arranged in a pan casserole with beef broth and cooked at your table. Cooked noodles are added when the soup is boiling. Octopus is a favorite dish of Koreans.

How to eat: Eaten with a bowl of rice. Most Koreans mix rice with spoonfuls of stew.

Shinseollo (Fairy Casserole) Shinseollo
This time consuming specialty is not sold as an independent dish, but usually served as part of a fancy table d'hote dinner or on a buffet table. This Korean style chafing dish has a hole for burning chacoal underneath the bowl to keep the dish warm. Meat balls, fried egg slivers, fried fish fillets, mushrooms, fried liver, pre-cooked carrots, ginko nuts, walnuts, and pine nuts are arranged for a colorful dish. Clear beef broth is added to make a tasty stew.

How to eat: This dish is usually served as a side dish.


Sogogi-jeongol (Beef and Vegetable Stew) Sogogi-jeongol
Sliced beef, vegetables, and bean curd are arranged in a pan and cooked with beef broth at your table. Some recipes call for adding shrimp or clams to make the broth more tasty.

How to eat: Eaten with a bowl of rice. Most Koreans mix rice with spoonfuls of stew.

Sundubu-jjigae (Raw Bean Curd Stew) Sundubu-jjigae
This dish is made from boiled raw bean curd. other ingredients include cooked opened clams, clam water, chopped poke, chopped kimchi, sliced Welsh onion, and sauce in a small Korean traditional style pot.

To make the sauce, mix red pepper powder, chopped welsh onion, garlic, and ginger with soy sauce, and put them into a prepared hot pot with oil. Many times an egg can be placed on top of the stew. The taste can be somewhat spicy, but very tasty.

How to eat: Eaten with a bowl of rice. Most Koreans mix rice with spoonfuls of stew.