Kimchi Jjigae

Rinse the rice, put it in a pot with 350 ml of water and bring it to the boil. Cover, cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes, then leave it covered for 10 minutes while the stew cooks. Cut the kimchi into 4 cm pieces and keep its juice. Slice the pork belly into strips about 3 cm long and 5 mm thick. Slice the onion and the garlic, cut the spring onion into 3 cm lengths, and cut the tofu into slabs 1.5 cm thick.

• rice300 g
• water350 mL
• napa cabbage400 g
• pork belly250 g
• onion100 g
• garlic3 cloves
• tofu300 g
• spring onion30 g

Heat the sesame oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork and fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring now and then, until it browns lightly and the fat starts to render. Add the kimchi with its juice, the onion, the garlic, the gochugaru and the sugar. Stir-fry for another 3–4 minutes, until the kimchi softens and the edges turn translucent. It should smell sweet and sour. The sugar softens the sourness; it does not make the stew sweet.

• sesame oil1 tbsp
• pork belly250 g
• napa cabbage400 g
• onion100 g
• garlic3 cloves
• gochugaru1 tbsp
• sugar1 tsp

Pour in 600 ml of water and add the soy sauce. Bring it to the boil, then lower the heat to a steady simmer and cover the pot partly. Cook for 20–30 minutes, until the pork is very tender and a fork slides through it with no resistance. The kimchi should be soft and the broth deep red, a little reduced and with a layer of red oil on top. Taste it: it should be sour, spicy and savoury. Add a splash of water if it is too strong.

• water600 mL
• soy sauce1 tbsp

Lay the tofu slabs on top of the stew without stirring, so they stay whole. Simmer gently for 5–6 minutes, until the tofu is heated through and has taken on the colour of the broth. Scatter the spring onion on top and take the pot off the heat. Fluff the rice. Bring the pot to the table while it is still bubbling, and serve it with the rice in separate bowls.

• tofu300 g
• spring onion30 g