Kimchi Chamchi Jigae: Korean Kimchi and Tuna Soup

I'm so excited to share this very authentic Korean soup recipe with you today. Growing up, my mom always made this soup and I loved it! (Check out another Korean soup recipe.) The aroma of kimchi and the spice definitely boosts your appetite. I love the soup because it's got all kinds of goodness in it. For example, canned tuna. I've only used Korean canned chunky tuna in this soup. Korean canned tuna has less oil in it and the tuna tastes so much better. Sorry but it is true. But if you can't find Korean tuna, that is fine. You can probably go ahead and use the one that you can find in your grocery stores.

I used homemade Kimchi for this soup. I am so sorry that I still haven't posted my kimchi recipe. It's not that it's a secret recipe or anything like that. I'm just trying to perfect the recipe so you can use it when you want to make it yourself. I don't want you to be disappointed, you know. But everyone likes their kimchi different anyway. I guess you make it the way you like it. That's the beauty of making kimchi. You add less or more of everything according to your appetite. But as soon as I have the recipe that I "love", I will post it on here.

So this homemade Kimchi wasn't bad. I thought it was too salty but my hubby really loved it and said that was the perfect recipe. I disagree with him. It was way too salty for me. But who knew this salty kimchi would make such great soup! In soup, the kimchi was "perfect". If you want to make this soup but don't have kimchi at home, the store-bought ones aren't too awful. And interestingly, any kimchi is pretty good in soup. :)

This soup goes great with rice and any vegetable side dishes. Enjoy!

Kimchi Chamchi Jigae (김치 참치찌개)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup kimchi with kimchi water (Spicy kimchi works great!)
1 can Korean chunky tuna
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1 firm tofu, sliced
1-2 teaspoons Korean red pepper flakes (according to your liking)
pinch of salt

Directions:

In a clay pot or a medium sized pot, add sesame oil and heat over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the kimchi with kimchi water, canned tuna, and garlic and stir for about 3-5 minutes, or until the kimchi starts to soften.

When the kimchi starts to soften, add the water and bring it to boil. When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium or medium high and add the fish sauce, tofu, and the red pepper flakes. Cover and continue to cook for another 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat. If you're using a clay pot, the water will continue to boil even after it has been removed from the heat for several minutes. Keeping it covered will keep the soup hot for longer. Enjoy!

Sook the Cook