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Kimchi Ramen Stew
This kimchi ramen stew is so delicious, and filled with so much flavor. Made with deep flavors or garlic, ginger, gochujang, kimchi and more. This is made all in one pot and comes together in no time. Whenever I go to KBBQ, I also look forward to the Kimchi-Jjigae, it comes piping hot and bubbling, filled with all my favorite ingredients!
This recipe is vegetarian, but you can opt to add any protein like pork belly or beef as well! You can also add-on any veggies you have on hand, such as carrots, shiitake mushrooms or broccoli. I would also serve this stew with these Korean Marinated Cucumbers (Oi Muchim)!
This kimchi ramen stew is inspired by Kimchi-Jjigae, which is a Korean stew made with kimchi, scallion, onions and tofu (which usually doesn’t have noodles!), as well as Budae Jjigae (Army Stew), which is a stew made with ingredients like kimchi, spam, gochujang, sausage and instant noodles.
What is kimchi stew made of?
Vegetables: We are using a base of vegetables and aromatics! Starting with onion, green onions, garlic, ginger and zucchini.
Flavor base for the stew: gochujang (Korean chili paste), gochugaru (korean chili flakes) and chopped Kimchi and soy sauce.
For the remaining soup: Once the veggies, aromatics and flavor base are in, we finish the stew with vegetable broth, then tofu and ramen noodles to finish, cooking directly in the pot. Then it’s finished with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and vinegar.
Toppings: I love to top my stew with egg yolks (soft-boiled eggs will work as well!), seaweed flakes and toasted sesame seeds.
Instructions to make this kimchi stew
Prepare your vegetables
Heat a deep pot with your neutral oil on medium high heat. Add in your onions, green onions, garlic, ginger and zucchini. Sweat out for 5 to 10 minutes. Your onions should be translucent here, but shouldn’t bring on any color.
Add in your flavor base
Add in your gochujang, Korean pepper flakes, soy sauce, kimchi and sugar. Stir until all combined with your vegetables, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add in your broth and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes on medium low, until all your zucchini is fork tender.
Finish with tofu and ramen
Add in your tofu and ramen and boil for 3 minutes, until your ramen noodles are completely cooked.
Final seasoning and serve!
Turn off the heat and finish with toasted sesame oil and vinegar. Serve in bowls and finish with your favorite toppings! We like to serve with an egg yolk (per bowl), seaweed flakes and toasted sesame seeds.
More noodle soups to check out!
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Updated from September 2019
Kimchi Ramen Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 small white or yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions plus more for garnish
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 thumb ginger in matchsticks
- 1 large zucchini in half moons
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 teaspoon korean pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 cup kimchi roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar adjust with more to taste
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 8 ounces firm tofu cubed
- 1 4.23 ounce ramen instant noodles
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- serve with egg yolks and seaweed flakes and toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat a deep pot with your neutral oil on medium high heat. Add in your onions, green onions, garlic, ginger and zucchini. Sweat out for 5 to 10 minutes. Your onions should be translucent here, but shouldn't bring on any color.
- Add in your gochujang, Korean pepper flakes, soy sauce, kimchi and sugar. Toss until all combined with your vegetables, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add in your broth and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes on medium low, until all your zucchini is fork tender. Add in your tofu and ramen and boil for 3 minutes, until your ramen noodles are completely cooked.
- Turn off the heat and finish with toasted sesame oil and vinegar. Serve in bowls and finish with your favorite toppings! We like to serve with an egg yolk (per bowl), seaweed flakes and toasted sesame seeds.
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Wow. You didn’t even use Shin ramen…
I want to try making this recipe, is it spicy? I mean AT ALL? I know a lot of Korean food can have some heat behind it, and while I cook with garlic and onions and such all the time, I don’t know about Kimchi and gochujang.
Also, what do you mean by the term “strands, long” what referring to the ginger? Does it get cut matchstick style with the fibers perhaps? Thanks!
Hi Emily! Thank you for your comment. This stew is a spicy dish. You can definitely adjust with your seasonings for the level of heat, but it has kimchi, gochujang and korean pepper flakes which all add to the spice of the dish that is always authentically in Kimchi Jjigae! You can potentially sub out the gochujang and pepper flakes, and just add kimchi (since that may be more mild, depending on where you are getting your kimchi), but the gochujang will help the texture here as well. I would recommend trying our Chicken Tantanmen ramen and removing the chili oil, as another recipe no-heat option! Hope this helps!
For ginger: yes, it would be matchsticks!
How many people does this recipe serve?
Serves 2!