Kimchi stew

This is a good way to use either fresher or older kimchi and can be used with any combination of vegetables. Another warming dish for a cold day!

Ingredients

• kimchi
• neutral oil
• soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-intolerant)
• vegetables, whatever you have handy – we used carrots, potatoes and had some seaweed / wakame to use up too
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 8cm piece of ginger
• 2-3 spring onions
• sugar
• gochujang (if you have it)
• tofu, seaweed (optional)

Method

1. Peel your vegatables that need peeling, and wash those that do not. Cut into bite-sized chunks.
2. Peel and finely chop the ginger and garlic.
3. Slice the spring onions finely; separate the white and the green parts.
4. Get your kimchi and gochujang out of the fridge (if you don’t have gochujang, that is ok – it’ll just have a milder taste). If you want to add tofu, also get this out and cut it into chunks.
5. In a large pot or pressure cooker, fry the ginger, garlic and white parts of the spring onion for about 2 min; it should start to smell nice!
6. Add in any harder vegetables (e.g. carrots or parsnips), fry for a couple of minutes to start to soften the outside; if using potatoes, we’ll add them later.
7. Add in any softer vegetables (e.g. mushrooms, aubergines), and fry for another couple of min.
8. If using the gochujang, add about a tablespoon now and let it fry with the vegetables.
9. Add water to cover the vegetables.
10. If using potatoes , add them now, alongside a good tablespoon of sugar, and two tablespoons of soy sauce or tamari.
11. Put the lid on and cook:
    • If using a pot, cook until the vegetables are cooked, checking the hardest vegetables with a fork from time to time – how long the stew will need will depend on the type of vegetables you have added!
    • If using a pressure cooker, bring to pressure and cook for about 20 minutes on the strongest setting.
12. Once the vegetables are cooked (if using a pressure cooker, wait until the valve comes down), add the seaweed (and tofu, if using) and simmer for a bit while it rehydrates on the stew.
13. Then add a good handful of kimchi as well as the green parts of the spring onions; taste the broth and see if it is spicy enough for you. If not, add more kimchi!
14. Taste and balance for sugar and salt by adding more sugar or soy sauce; if the dish is too watery, boil it for a bit more.
15. Serve!