HelloNature Recipe Review of Pork and Kimchi Stew

Pork and kimchi stew (Dwaejigogi Kimchijjigae) is a traditional Korean dish prepared in various ways. The dish has countless substitutions and additives to create the dish to your preferred tastes. The recipe I chose to follow, for the most part, is from the Korean company HelloNature.
This company gives you the option to purchase the products and ingredients from their website. I initially planned to do this, but there were two significant drawbacks.

First, shipping is a very lengthy and expensive process when delivering to the United States. I didn’t want to risk the chances of any of the products getting damaged, spoiled, or lost in transit which would inevitably result in significant drawbacks. Second, COVID-19 is still imposing threats on travel and normal day-to-day activities. The virus can even live on surfaces for days at a time, so it’s best not to receive shipments especially consumable items, during this time. Nonetheless, I followed the recipe as closely as I could as HelloNature provides a free list of ingredients and steps.

The Ingredients:
o Pork Belly (substituted with Pork Shoulder)
o Kimchi Broth
o Onion
o Green Onion
o Crushed Garlic
o Sugar
How to Make:
1. Peel and wash onions, then cut into large pieces.
2. Cut off roots of green onions and cut stems into three to four cm long. Cut the pork belly into the pan and stir-fry.
3. When the meat is losing its pink color, pour water and put in kimchi and kimchi broth.
4. Put the chopped onion, leek, garlic, and simmer.
5. Put sugar and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil. All done!

 

This offered a very generalized idea of what you would do as there are no specific measurements nor details overall. I did look at other sources to make sure I was somewhat on track while cooking. I used Youtube videos made by famous home chef Maangchi for guidance through her kimchi stew and spicy pork stew recipe.

I used substitutions for a few ingredients like the pork belly in which I used pork shoulder, and for the kimchi, I used a pre-made container from the grocery store. While researching how to prepare the recipe, I noticed many recipes included sesame oil and soy sauce to sauté the meat, so I added them.

I began by washing and chopping all the ingredients. I let the vegetables sit to the side while I sautéed the meat. I used a large saucepan and heated it to medium heat before adding the sesame oil and pork shoulder. I didn’t use exact measurements of ingredients but what I thought was best. When the meat began to brown, I added the kimchi, chopped onion, and green onions. After sauteing, I immediately added water, soy sauce, and a tablespoon of sugar. I occasionally stirred so it wouldn’t burn for about twenty minutes. Lastly, I covered the pan and dropped the heat down to a simmer for another twenty-five to thirty minutes. During the last ten minutes or so, I began cooking rice as a side dish. I drained and lightly salted the rice then poured the stew over it.

 

I was hesitant to taste it due to the lack of proper measurements. That changed after I took my first bite, it was delicious! The stew had a reddish tint to it and the vegetables and meat blended in well. The aroma was welcoming and gentle with the spice adding an extra layer of warmth underneath. I constantly found myself saying throughout cooking “Wow this smells so good.”
The meat was tender and juicy, which resulted from the use of sesame oil and keeping the fat on the pork shoulder. The kimchi and vegetables added a slight sweetness and spiciness to the dish, neither was overpowering and blended beautifully. I prepared enough for two to three servings, I found myself eating a little and a few hours later craving for more.

Although the final product came out amazing, it was not without struggle. The recipe instructions were very generalized, and it made it difficult for someone not familiar with Korean cuisine to understand it properly. Having to research and look for other recipes to make a dish made HelloNature’s recipe a definite disappointment and a failure of instruction. I advise that if you’re a beginner, it may be best to buy prepackaged ingredients like the kimchi or crushed garlic, and to use a different source. Overall, it was a fun and insightful cultural experience despite the difficulties and I encourage everyone to try a recipe from a different culture.