Our Taste of Home: Kimchijigae

By Roy Shin

For me, food is one of the most important aspects of my life. Sometimes, my lunch or dinner break might be the only time that I get to rest from a long day of school. I also love going out to try new foods and enjoy the company of friends and family. However, for my mother, food is mostly an afterthought.

My mother grew up in a family of five, where they not have the luxury to purchase expensive food items, such as meat and certain fruits. Despite never having a large appetite, when I asked her about what foods represent “home” to her, her eyes lit up. She said that vegetables were a large part of her diet in Korea, due to being a cheap source of nutrition and calories. Her mother often cooked Kimchi Jjigae and Doenjang Jjigae. These two soups were a staple in her family’s meals— both packed with different vegetables and natural preservatives.

Image of Kimchi Jjiae from The Spruce Eats

Kimchi Jjigae is made with fermented, spicy cabbage as the base, giving it its red-colored broth. Nowadays, pork and pork bones are added to the broth to give it a deep richness. To replicate this rich flavor on a budget, my mother’s family would add pork fat instead.

Image of Doenjang Jjigae from Beyond Kimchee

Doenjang Jjigae is another soup that is made with fermented soybean paste. Tofu is the common addition, My mother’s family ate tofu often as a cheap source of protein. After adding tofu, they would add potatoes, onions, squash, and peppers.

My mother says that the food she ate as a child makes her feel warm and comforted— not because of the taste or flavor, but because she felt her mother’s love through the dishes. She said that she feels like the character Aton Ego from the movie Ratatouille when she thinks about her mother’s food. Due to her mother’s hard work in making these dishes with their available resources, my mother can now make changes and adaptations to these two dishes with the ingredients she now has available to her. And she loves to joke that her versions are far superior.