Tonkatsu Kimchi Nabe.
I absolutely love this dish! Tonkatsu Kimchi Nabe is a fusion dish that combines comfort food from Japanese & Korean Cooking.
Tonkatsu is Japanese Fried Cutlet. And Kimchi Jjigae is one of Korea’s iconic spicy stews. You marry the two together – and you get bold, savory and comforting stew.
Tonakatsu Kimchi Nabe was one of my favorite dishes to eat for lunch when I was working in Corporate Korea. It’s become one of Korea’s most popular lunch menu items and can be easily found in busy, commercial districts.
(Just remember to tuck in that tie before eating).
Now, it’s my pleasure to show you how to make this stew at home. Today, I used ready-made, frozen Tonakatsu. You can of course make it from scratch (recipe here), but time is money!
Plus, the ready-made Tonkatsu brands found in Korea marts are very tasty!
Cooking Notes for Tonkatsu Kimchi Nabe:
When making the Kimchi Stew, I highly recommend using aged Kimchi. Kimchi that has fermented for at least a few weeks (or better yet months) develop a sour profile – which translates to deeper flavor when cooked down in stews and stir-fries.
After pouring in the egg mixture, turn off the heat. The egg will cook and turn fluffy from the residual heat in the pot.
But Daniel – doesn’t the fried cutlets turn soft if you place it on the stew? Yes it does. But the soft texture doesn’t take away any of the flavor. Think about it like a piece of fried veggie tempura placed on the side of a bowl of Udon!
If you want to double the recipe for a family of four – fry-up four Tonkatsu. Then double-up the ingredients for the Kimchi Stew. Once it’s made, use a soup ladle and split the stew into two separate frying pans. Then add two cutlets on each – as well as the two beaten eggs.
If you try making this delicious dish at home, tag us on a photo on IG! We love flipping through your pictures in the morning (makes us happy!)
Bon Appetit – you’re going to love this dish 😉
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 Donkatsu Cutlets (Fried Pork Culets)
- 1 cup Aged Kimchi
- ½ whole Onion
- 1 stalk of Spring Onion (length of your forearm)
- 2 Egg
Seasoning for Kimchi Stew
- ⅓ cup Leftover Kimchi Juice
- 2 cups Water
- 2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Soup Soy Sauce (Regular Soy Sauce is ok!)
- 1 Tablespoon Gochugaru
- Small handful Green Onion (optional, garnish)
Instructions
Fry Donkatsu & Prep Ingredients
- Deep-fry two pork cutlets. Then cut them into thick strips.
- Slice Aged Kimchi into bite-sized pieces and set aside 1 standard cup's worth. Save the residual juice from the Kimchi and set aside ⅓ cup's worth. Note: If you don't have alot of residual Kimchi juice, mix the amount you do have with some water (like we did in the video).
- Cut ½ an onion into thin slices.
- Cut 1 (forearm-length-sized) stalk of spring onion into small bite-sized pieces.
- Break two eggs into a bowl and whisk it up thoroughly. Set aside for later
Make Kimchi Stew
- Place some vegetable oil into a large pot. Put it on a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the sliced spring onion pieces and stir-fry around.
- Once the spring onion pieces start to sizzle, add-in the sliced onions. Stir-fry until the onions turn slightly translucent.
- Then add in the chopped kimchi (1 cup). Stir-fry around for 1-minute.
- Then add in the residual Kimchi Juice (⅓ cup).
- Next, add in the water (2 cups).
- As it comes back to boil, season the stew with: Minced Garlic (2 Tablespoons), Sugar (1 Tablespoon), Soup Soy Sauce (2 Tablespoons), Gochugaru (1 Tablespoon).
- Once it comes to boil, set a timer for 3-4 minutes. Let it cook down.
- After 3-4 minutes, give the Kimchi soup a taste. If you want to season with a pinch of salt, go ahead. (You can also give it a few more minutes to cook down - if it doesn't taste deep enough).
- The Kimchi stew is ready! Now, use a knife to carefully balance and add the sliced cutlet pieces over the Kimchi stew. Then immediately pour the beaten egg mixture around the pot. Turn off the heat. (The eggs will cook in the residual heat).
- Serve immediately - alongside a bowl of hot rice. Wolf it down and enjoy life 🙂
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