Kimchi jjigae

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallyFishKimchi is usually made with fish sauce; anchovy stock; tuna versions.
• UsuallySoyTofu, plus gochujang, soy sauce or soybean paste in many recipes.
• OftenCrustaceansMany kimchi recipes use salted shrimp (saeujeot).
• OftenGlutenGochujang or soy sauce in the seasoning; instant noodles added to some pots.
• SometimesMolluscsOysters or squid in some kimchi; clams in seafood versions.
• SometimesSesameSesame oil to fry the kimchi and pork at the start.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Rarely vegetarian: the kimchi usually contains fish sauce and the broth is often anchovy or meat stock.
• Not halal as standard: pork is the default; the tuna version is the usual alternative.
• Coeliacs (celiacs) need to ask about gochujang, soy sauce and noodles in the pot.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is kimchi jjigae?

Kimchi jjigae is a spicy, sour stew made from aged kimchi, usually with pork and tofu, served boiling in a stone pot or metal pan. It's one of the most common home and restaurant meals in Korea, and a good use for kimchi that has fermented past its best for eating raw. Jjigae means a thick, stew-like soup, saltier and more concentrated than guk (soup).

What's in it

The base is sour napa cabbage kimchi and its juice. The usual additions:

• Protein: pork belly or shoulder in the classic version, canned tuna in the popular chamchi version, sometimes Spam or sausage
• Tofu, onion, spring onion and green chilli
• Gochugaru (chilli flakes), and often gochujang, soy sauce or a little doenjang (soybean paste)
• Water, rice-washing water, or anchovy and kelp stock

The kimchi and pork are usually fried in oil first, then simmered. Budae jjigae (army stew) is a related pot with sausage, Spam, baked beans, instant noodles and cheese.

Allergens and diets

The kimchi is where most allergens hide. Standard cabbage kimchi is made with jeotgal: fermented fish sauce (usually anchovy) and often salted shrimp (crustaceans). Some regional kimchi also includes oysters or squid (molluscs). Many restaurants then make the stew with anchovy stock, and the tuna version adds more fish. Picking out visible seafood doesn't help: it's in the kimchi itself.

Soy comes from the tofu and from any gochujang, soy sauce or doenjang. Gochujang usually contains wheat, as does standard soy sauce, so gluten is likely but not certain. Instant noodles (ramyeon sari) added to the pot are wheat. Some cooks start the stew in sesame oil.

Vegan kimchi exists, but you'd need a restaurant that makes it specially and uses a vegetable stock.

On the menu

Kimchi jjigae is written 김치찌개, sometimes spaced 김치 찌개. Variations:

• 돼지고기 김치찌개 dwaejigogi: pork
• 참치 김치찌개 chamchi: tuna
• 부대찌개 budae-jjigae: army stew
• 라면사리 ramyeon sari: instant noodles added
• 공깃밥 gonggitbap: a bowl of rice, sometimes charged separately

Some restaurants serve jjigae only for two or more people (2인분 이상).

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.