5-Minute Kimchi-Jjim · Jachwi Yori Sin

Cut the pork belly and the kimchi into bite-size pieces, slice the onion, and cut the green onion on a slant.

Set a pan over medium-high heat with no oil at all.

💡 Pork belly is roughly half fat — it renders its own oil within a minute. Adding oil now just makes the finished dish greasy.

Add the pork and the green onion and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until the edges of the pork are browned and the fat in the pan runs clear.

Add the kimchi and the onion and keep stir-frying for 2 to 3 minutes.

Wait for the kimchi to deepen in colour and smell sweet and sour rather than sharp — that is it losing its raw edge.

💡 This is the step most people cut short. Under-fried kimchi stays aggressive and thin-tasting no matter how long you simmer it after.

Push everything to one side, add the gochugaru into the rendered fat, and stir it for about 30 seconds until it blooms into a red oil.

Pour in the 1 cup of water — it should hiss sharply and lift the browned glaze off the base of the pan.

Add the minced garlic and the chicken stock powder and stir once to dissolve.

Put the lid on, let it come to a boil, then cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Take the lid off: the kimchi should be tender enough to give under a spoon, and the sauce should be reduced, glossy and clinging to the meat.

Taste it. Kimchi varies wildly in salt — if it is flat, a little more stock powder; if it is sharp, a pinch of sugar.

Spoon it over hot white rice, scatter seaweed flakes on top and finish with the sesame oil.