 |
| Korean Kim Chi Soup, Perfect For A Cold Winter Day |
Last week, I made a batch of Vegetarian Dashi, so simple but so full of flavor. I had made miso soup with half of the dashi, and wanted to make something heartier and spicy this time.
The weather has turned really cold the last few days and I’ve been craving a hot, spicy soup. One of my favorite cold weather soups is Korean Kim Chi Soup, a fiery hot, red soup (with lots of red pepper), typically made with “old” kimchi (kimchi that’s been sitting in the refrigerator for a long time), water, red pepper flakes, pork and tofu.
I wanted to make a vegetarian version of Korean Kim Chi Soup, and still attain the meaty flavor that the traditional soup offers. Although not typical, I used dashi as the soup base since it contains kombu, which has unami, the fifth basic taste, often associated with savory foods such as meat, cheese and mushrooms. I also added some mirin to round out the spiciness.
To add some interesting textures to this Korean Kim Chi Soup, I used shitake mushrooms and enoki mushrooms, which have an earthy flavor (shitake mushrooms are meaty and enoki mushrooms are a bit crunchy). Korean Kim Chi Soup is an easy soup to make that can be put together and ready to eat in 15 minutes. It also reheats nicely.
 |
| Enoki Mushrooms, with bottom one inch trimmed |
Korean Kim Chi Soup (“Kim Chi Jjigae”)
 |
| Kimchi, Korean fermented cabbage |
1 tablespoon naturally sweetened mirin (Eden Foods makes one)
5 shitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut into quarters
1/2 a bunch of enoki mushrooms, bottom 1 inch trimmed
2 scallions, green parts only, chopped
Heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add kimchi and cook about 2 minutes, stirring a few times. Add dashi, gochujang, mirin and red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil. Add shitaki mushrooms and tofu (if using), and cook for 1 minute; add enoki mushrooms and cook 30 seconds. Sprinkle scallions on top and serve. Serves 4-6.
 |
| Gochujang, a Korean red pepper paste |
More Recipes Using Kimchi
Kimchi Fried Rice by Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Korean Spicy Soba Noodles by Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Kimchi Noodle Soup by Tigers and Strawberries (use tofu and/or mushrooms instead of pork)
Kimchi Pasta Salad by Fresh Approach Cooking (use soba noodles or other whole grain pasta)
Anticancer Ingredients: Garlic, Kimchi (cruciferous vegetable), Kombu (in dashi), Shitake Mushrooms
Spicy Korean Barbecue Chicken Sliders with Asian Slaw and Kimchi Sauce Recipe
18
This soup sounds so delicious! The amount of heat scares me a bit but I know it can be tamed. I'd love to give this a try sometime.
Hope you try this soup, it is one of my favorites when it's cold out. If you don't want it so spicy, just leave out the red pepper flakes, and adjust the amount of gochujang to your liking, you can always make it spicier by adding more.
I LOVE LOVE KIMCHI!! I got soo excited when i saw this, another great post. I sooooo cant wait
I've been thinking about making this soup myself, with all the cold weather!!
I stumbled on your blog today and am enjoying the posts! This one caught my attention; as soon as I saw the picture, I started salivating just thinking of the spice and flavors. Kimchi jigae is one of my favorites, and I especially love it because it's so easy to make.
I look forward to reading more of your posts!