The Ultimate Korean Food Guide: Comforting Biji-jjigae Soybean Stew Recipe 🍳

🌨️ A Warm and Nutty "Rice Thief"! No-Fail Golden Recipe for Biji-jjigae 🍲

Hello everyone! The weather has suddenly turned freezing, hasn't it? When the cold wind starts to blow, there's one home-cooked meal that always comes to mind. It's the bubbling, savory Biji-jjigae (Soybean Stew)! Honestly, I was a picky eater as a kid and didn't like soybean pulp much. But as I get older, I find myself constantly craving this nutty, rustic flavor. Haha.

Recently, when some friends visited, I decided to treat them using this Biji-jjigae recipe. They polished off two bowls of rice each, asking if I had bought it from a restaurant! Even if you're a beginner, if you follow my secret tips for making Biji-jjigae, you'll definitely succeed. Ready to get cooking? ✨

🛒 Ingredients (Serves 2)

The most important part of Biji-jjigae is achieving the golden ratio! Let’s go over the ingredients carefully.

• Essential Ingredients: 300g Ground soybean pulp (store-bought is fine!), 150g Pork (stew cut/shoulder recommended), 1/4 head Sour (aged) kimchi, 1/2 stalk Green onion, 1 spicy green chili pepper
• Seasoning: 2 tablespoons Perilla oil, 1 tablespoon Minced garlic, 1.5 tablespoons Gochugaru (Korean chili powder), 1 tablespoon Soup soy sauce, 0.5–1 tablespoon Salted shrimp (for depth), 400ml Anchovy kelp stock
• Optional: Red chili (for color), 1/4 Onion

💡 Cooking Tip! You must use sour (aged) kimchi! It's a match made in heaven with the nuttiness of the soybean pulp. If your kimchi isn't quite ripe yet, add about half a tablespoon of vinegar to bring out the umami. Pork with a bit of fat is much more tender and flavorful!

👩‍🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Prepping the Ingredients

First, lightly pat the pork with paper towels to remove any excess blood. This is the secret to a clean-tasting Biji-jjigae without any gamey smell! Chop the sour kimchi into bite-sized pieces, and slice the green onion and chili peppers diagonally. If you're adding onion, slice it thinly. We're already halfway there! Haha.

Step 2. Sautéing the Meat in Fragrant Oil

Heat 2 tablespoons of perilla oil in a pot and sauté the minced garlic and pork together over medium heat. The key is to stir-fry until the surface of the meat is cooked and the nutty aroma of the perilla oil fills your kitchen. Adding two pinches of black pepper at this stage really elevates the flavor.

Step 3. Adding Kimchi and Sautéing

Once the meat is mostly cooked, add the chopped sour kimchi. It’s important to sauté it thoroughly with the meat until the kimchi becomes translucent! Good sautéing creates a deeper broth. Add 1.5 tablespoons of gochugaru and stir for another minute (being careful not to burn it) to create a beautiful chili oil look! 😍

Step 4. Adding the Stock and Simmering

Now, pour in 400ml of anchovy kelp stock. If you don't have stock, rice water works perfectly too! Bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it starts boiling, reduce to medium-low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes until the kimchi flavor fully infuses into the broth.

Step 5. Adding the Soybean Pulp and Seasoning

It’s time for the star of the show: ground soybean pulp! After adding it, try not to stir too much. Gently break it up so it spreads out into fluffy clouds. Now for the seasoning—my golden ratio secret is using salted shrimp (saeu-jeot)! It provides a much deeper flavor than just salt. Adjust with salted shrimp and soup soy sauce to your taste.

Step 6. Adding Veggies and Finishing Up

Finally, add the sliced green onion and chili peppers and simmer for 1–2 more minutes. Since the soybean pulp makes the broth thick quite quickly, give it an occasional stir to make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom. The sound of it bubbling is pure happiness! 🧡

✨ Plating & How to Enjoy

Serving your Biji-jjigae in a Korean earthenware pot (ttukbaegi) keeps it hot until the very last bite. Top it with some extra green onions and sesame seeds for a professional look! It looks amazing, doesn't it? Haha.

It's a Korean "unwritten rule" to mix this stew into freshly cooked white rice. Pair it with some crispy roasted seaweed or pickled perilla leaves, and you won't need any other side dishes. The nuttiness of the pulp, the chewiness of the pork, and the refreshing kick of the sour kimchi... you seriously have to try this! ㅠㅠ