Spicy and Refreshing Aged Kimchi Gamjatang (Pork Bone Stew)
Delicious Gamjatang Recipe Using Aged Kimchi – Recommended for Dinner
Gamjatang, a hearty pork bone stew, is wonderfully comforting, and while it’s often made with napa cabbage or perilla leaves, adding aged, fermented kimchi creates a unique and delightful flavor profile. Dishes with kimchi are always a win! When you simmer pork backbones until tender in a rich, savory broth, and then add tangy, well-fermented kimchi, the resulting flavor is incredibly deep and satisfying. The tender meat falling off the bones, combined with the soft, slightly crisp kimchi, is a match made in heaven. And don’t forget to save some of that flavorful broth for a comforting bowl of rice – it’s the perfect hearty dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 rack Pork backbones
- 1 head Aged kimchi
- 2-3 stalks Green onions
- 3-5 Cheongyang peppers (or other spicy chili peppers)
- 5 Tbsp Doenjang (fermented soybean paste)
- 5 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsp Mirin (rice wine)
- 5 Tbsp Minced garlic
- Pinch of Ginger
- 5 Tbsp Perilla seed powder (deulkkae garu)
- 1/2 Tbsp Sugar
- 5 Tbsp Soy sauce
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
While some recipes soak pork backbones in cold water to remove blood, I find that soaking for too long can diminish the meat’s flavor. Instead, I prefer to parboil them briefly to remove impurities. Cover the pork backbones with water.
Step 2
Bring the water to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the backbones under cold water. You’ll see impurities rise to the surface as the water boils, which helps create a cleaner broth.
Step 3
Rinse each parboiled backbone thoroughly under running cold water. At this stage, trim off any excess fatty parts.
Step 4
Since we’ll be simmering the gamjatang for about an hour, add enough water so that the backbones are well submerged, accounting for some evaporation. Place the pot on the stove to begin simmering.
Step 5
Aged kimchi often contains ingredients like radish inside. It’s a good idea to rinse it once to remove some of the internal stuffing, especially if the kimchi has a strong sour or fermented smell. If it’s only moderately sour, you can simply shake out the stuffing and use the kimchi whole.
Step 6
Add the prepared aged kimchi to the pot with the simmering pork backbones.
Step 7
Now, let’s add the seasonings: 5 tablespoons of doenjang, 5 tablespoons of minced garlic, 5 tablespoons of gochugaru, 2 tablespoons of mirin, and 5 tablespoons of perilla seed powder. The amount of gochugaru can be adjusted later based on the kimchi’s saltiness and color. You can also add more perilla seed powder to your preference for a richer flavor. I personally added a bit more gochugaru and perilla seed powder for a deeper taste.
Step 8
Add the 2-3 stalks of green onions and 3-5 Cheongyang peppers. These will be removed later, so you can add them whole or cut into large pieces.
Step 9
If your aged kimchi is excessively sour, adding about 1/2 tablespoon of sugar can help mellow out the tanginess.
Step 10
Cover the pot and let it simmer gently for about 1 hour, allowing all the flavors to meld together beautifully.
Step 11
Finally, taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with soy sauce as needed. You can also add salt or salted shrimp to taste.
Step 12
Your delicious aged kimchi gamjatang is ready, with meat that easily falls off the bone! While it’s great to serve as is, I prefer to debone the meat, placing some on a separate plate and returning some to the broth for extra richness. This makes it even more enjoyable to eat.
Step 13
Take a piece of tender meat, wrap it with a bit of the well-cooked kimchi, and take a bite – ah, it’s so good, it’ll make you crave a glass of soju!
