Chamchi Kimchi Jjigae
참치김치찌개·(cham-chi kim-chi jji-gae)
Friday Night Jjigae: End-of-Week Comfort Stews
Chamchi Kimchi Jjigae isn't a precious, all-day affair requiring a massive stockpot and a butcher's bill. At six o'clock on a Friday, you crack open a pop-top tin of tuna and breathe in the sharp tang of over-ripe cabbage hitting a hot clay pot until the sour kimchi hisses. The secret is simple: do not throw away the tuna oil. Sautéing aged kimchi directly in that oceanic fat caramelizes the cabbage and mellows the harsh lactic acid, building the base in under thirty minutes. Drop a spoon into the bubbling broth and eat.
Before you start
Source the right tuna.
If you can't find Korean Dongwon brand tuna, any high-quality tuna packed in olive or vegetable oil will do. Never use tuna packed in water—it lacks the savory depth required to properly sauté the kimchi.
Save your rice water.
When washing your dinner rice, discard the first rinse but save the milky white water from the second or third. This starchy liquid (ssaltteumul) is the ultimate zero-cost, historically accurate thickener for Korean stews.
Ingredients
- canned tuna in oil5 oz
- well-fermented sour kimchi2 cup
- kimchi brine1/4 cup
- yellow onion1/2 med
- garlic1 tbsp
- sugar1 tsp
- rice water or anchovy broth2 cup
- Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)1 tbsp
- soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) or fish sauce1 tbsp
- firm or medium tofu1/2 block
- green onion1 stalk
- jalapeño or Serrano pepper1 small
Method
- 01
Extract the tuna oil into a pot.
Place a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, then carefully press the lid of the tuna can down to squeeze only the oil into the pot, leaving the chunks of meat undisturbed inside the can.
- 02
Sauté the base until caramelized.
Add the sour kimchi, onion, garlic, and sugar to the hot tuna oil and sauté continuously for 4 to 5 minutes until the kimchi turns slightly translucent and takes on a deeper orange hue.
- 03
Build the broth and bring to a boil.
Pour in the rice water and reserved kimchi brine, sprinkle in the chili flakes, and stir well. Bring the stew to a vigorous, rolling boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for 10 minutes to properly break down the cabbage.
- 04
Gently add the tuna and tofu.
Remove the lid and gently lay the reserved tuna chunks into the center of the stew without stirring aggressively—you want to keep the meat intact, not turn it into a gritty paste. Arrange the sliced tofu around the tuna and season the broth with the soup soy sauce.
- 05
Finish and serve bubbling hot.
Simmer uncovered for a final 3 to 5 minutes until the tofu is heated through, scattering the green onions and sliced chili over the top in the last minute of cooking before serving immediately right from the pot.
Notes
The kimchi emergency.
If your store-bought kimchi isn't sour enough, leave the sealed jar on the counter for 24 to 48 hours to accelerate the lacto-fermentation. If it's still lacking tang when it's time to cook, cheat with a teaspoon of rice vinegar at the very end.
Never use gochujang here.
Diaspora recipes often use chili paste to compensate for a weak broth, but it will make this stew muddy and overly sweet. Stick to gochugaru (chili flakes) for a clean, sharp, brilliantly red broth.
From Cook Korean in America.