Korean Kim Chi Soup Recipe

Korean Kim Chi Soup, a spicy soup great for a cold dayLast week, I made a batch of Vegetarian Dashi, so simple but so full of flavor.  I had made miso soup with half of the dashi, and wanted to make something heartier and spicy this time.

The weather has turned really cold the last few days and I've been craving a hot, spicy soup.  One of my favorite cold weather soups is Korean Kim Chi Soup, a fiery hot, red soup (with lots of red pepper), typically made with "old" kimchi (kimchi that's been sitting in the refrigerator for a long time), water, red pepper flakes, pork and tofu.

I wanted to make a vegetarian version of Korean Kim Chi Soup, and still attain the meaty flavor that the traditional soup offers. Although not typical, I used dashi as the soup base since it contains kombu, which has unami, the fifth basic taste, often associated with savory foods such as meat, cheese and mushrooms. I also added some mirin to round out the spiciness.

To add some interesting textures to this Korean Kim Chi Soup, I used shitake mushrooms and enoki mushrooms, which have an earthy flavor (shitake mushrooms are meaty and enoki mushrooms are a bit crunchy). Korean Kim Chi Soup is an easy soup to make that can be put together and ready to eat in 15 minutes. It also reheats nicely.
Enoki Mushrooms, with bottom one inch trimmed

Korean Kim Chi Soup (?Kim Chi Jjigae?)
Kimchi, Korean fermented cabbage

I love eating this spicy soup piping hot on a cold day. For a heartier meal, add some tofu or serve with a bowl of hot steamed brown rice. This is spicy!  Omit the red pepper flakes if you like a medium spicy soup. If you can't find shitake or enoki mushrooms, just substitute another type of mushroom.

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ginger, minced

1 ½ cup kimchi, cut into bite-size pieces

2 ½ cups vegetarian dashi

1 tablespoon gochujang
1 tablespoon naturally sweetened mirin (Eden Foods makes one)

1 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes or powder, optional

2 scallions, green parts only, chopped

Heat sesame oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant, about 15 seconds.  Add kimchi and cook about 2 minutes, stirring a few times.  Add dashi, gochujang, mirin and red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil.  Add shitaki mushrooms and cook for 1 minute; add enoki mushrooms and cook 30 seconds. Sprinkle scallions on top and serve.  Serves 4-6.
Gochujang, a Korean red pepper paste
More Recipes Using Kimchi
Kimchi Fried Rice by Jeanette's Healthy Living
Korean Spicy Soba Noodles by Jeanette's Healthy Living
Kimchi Noodle Soup by Tigers and Strawberries (use tofu and/or mushrooms instead of pork)
Kimchi Pasta Salad by Fresh Approach Cooking (use soba noodles or other whole grain pasta)

Anticancer Ingredients: Garlic, Kimchi (cruciferous vegetable), Kombu (in dashi), Shitake Mushrooms