Image courtesy of woolennium

Dish of the Week: Kimchee jigae

Where: Adam Express, Mandu

The swine flu appears to be aggressively making its way around town, and it sounds like it’s going to hit a lot more people before they are able to get the vaccine. I, too, am riding the snot rocket to hell. But in addition to chicken soup, I recommend kimchee jigae.

Kimchee jigae is a stew made with pork stock, pork, tofu, scallions, onion, and of course kimchee. The result is a warm confluence of rich pork flavor, acidity, and spice. It’s certainly a great way to clear up congestion. I know there are some kimchee haters, but this preparation mellows its effects. The intent of the dish was to use up “riper” kimchee, since the addition of heat and stock helps to dilute the really strong flavors. It’s also worth noting there is some anecdotal evidence floating that kimchee (as well as sauerkraut) has some effect on the flu virus, due to its wealth of good bacteria.

You can get kimchee jigae at Adam Express or Mandu. At Mandu, they have a vegetarian version, but that’s not helping to solve the problem before it’s too late. We must get all the pigs before they get us!