Warm up, with this spicy vegan kimchi stew that's made with with tender shiitake mushrooms and crispy pan-fried tofu! Easy, vegan, and packed with spicy flavor, this cozy stew is hearty enough to make a meal of and perfect on cold winter days.
Making kimchi is my own weird personal holiday tradition. I tried giving it out as holiday gifts a few years back, which was not the best idea. I have a few select people in my life who are very appreciative of homemade kimchi, but most folks seem to prefer cookies.
So I quit it with the kimchi gifting, but not before the kimchi holiday tradition became ingrained in my brain. It just doesn't feel like Christmas if I'm not elbow deep in a bowl of napa cabbage and chili flakes.
Fortunately, I love kimchi and my husband and I are fine to devour a big batch over the course of January. Also fortunately, there are lots of warming wintry dishes I can put my homemade kimchi in, like bibimbap, kimchi fried rice, and this kimchi stew!
Kimchi stew is actually my favorite when it's really cold outside. It's flavorful and spicy, and if you serve it piping hot it's sure to warm you up.
Jump to:
What Is Kimchi?
Kimchi is a Korean dish that's normally served as a side. Napa cabbage is the main ingredient in traditional kimchi, and in addition to that you'll find other veggies like carrots, green onions, and daikon radishes.
Kimchi is fermented, so it's sour, kind of like sauerkraut, but it's also spicy, thanks to the addition of seasonings like gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) and gochujang (Korean chili paste).
Be careful if using store-bought kimchi, which may not be vegan, or even vegetarian for that matter. Most varieties include ingredients like shrimp paste and fish sauce. Check the ingredients, or try some homemade vegan kimchi.
Tip: You'll find lots of variation in flavor among different batches and brands of kimchi. Some are spicier than others, some are more sour, some include different veggies. So be sure to adjust the seasonings in your stew to accommodate for this. Add a splash of rice vinegar, a dash of soy sauce, or a few extra spoonfuls of gochujang if needed.
Ingredients You'll Need For the Stew
- Canola oil. Just about any high heat oil can be substituted for this. Peanut oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, or avocado oil will all work.
- Extra firm tofu. I prefer this variety in my vegan kimchi stew, but soft tofu or silken tofu can be used if that's your preference. These varieties are more traditional and they don't need to be pre-cooked, so you can skip steps 1 through 3 of the recipe.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Napa cabbage kimchi. Read the section above if kimchi is a new ingredient to you. You can buy kimchi at many Asian markets, and these days it's available at lots of regular supermarkets as well. Just check the ingredients to ensure that the one you buy is vegan.
- Vegetable broth.
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms. Feel free to use soaked dried shiitake mushrooms if preferred.
- Gochujang. This fermented red pepper paste is an ingredient in kimchi, as mentioned above, but I like to add it to my kimchi stew for extra flavor. Look for it in the international section of your supermarket, at an Asian market, or on Amazon.
- Soy sauce. Gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Scallions. Also known as green onions.
Tip: There are a handful of other ingredients and garnishes you can add to your kimchi stew. Try rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha sauce (if not using gochujang), miso paste (another nice addition if you're skipping the gochujang), or toasted sesame seeds.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Start by pan-frying some tofu in a bit of oil. Check out my guide here for tips on how to get your tofu perfectly crispy.
- Transfer the tofu to a plate when it's done.
Note: It's important to cook your tofu on a good nonstick surface. If the pot that you plan to cook your stew in doesn't have that, use a separate skillet to cook the tofu, like I've done in the photos.
- Add some oil to the pot and cook an onion just until softened up, stirring frequently. Next, add some minced garlic to the pot.
- Add your kimchi to the pot and sauté it for a minute or two.
- Add some broth and shiitake mushrooms to the stew. If you're using gochujang, add that at this point as well. Bring the liquid to a simmer and let the stew cook for a bit.
- Stir your cooked tofu into the stew at the end.
Taste-test the stew and adjust any seasonings before serving. Add some salt or soy sauce if needed (kimchi is pretty salty though, so go easy) or extra gochujang.
Tip: Kimchi gets more and more sour as it ages. If your kimchi is relatively new, consider adding a dash of rice vinegar to add extra tang to your stew.
Grab a spoon and enjoy your vegan kimchi stew!
More Vegan Kimchi Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, or high-heat oil of choice, divided
- 1 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups vegan napa cabbage kimchi, roughly chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps
- 2 tablespoons gochujang, or to taste (optional, but highly recommended)
- Soy sauce, to taste (if needed)
- Chopped scallions, for serving
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large nonstick pot with 1 tablespoon of oil and place it over medium heat. (Note 1)
- When the oil is hot, add the tofu in an even layer. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping once or twice to achieve browning on multiple sides.
- Transfer the tofu to a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot and give it a minute to heat up.
- When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
- Add the kimchi to the pot and and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the broth and shittake mushrooms. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.
- Stir in the tofu and gochujang if using. Taste-test, season with soy sauce if needed, and adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
- Ladle into bowls and top with scallions. Serve.
Notes
- Alternatively, if the pot you intend to cook your stew in doesn't have a nonstick surface, you can use a separate nonstick skillet to cook your tofu.
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Ooh I love kimchi, and I had never thought of incorporating it in a stew – thanks for the inspiration :)
Thank you so much for this recipe!! Love it. This is one of my favourite korean, can’t believe I can make it myself!!
I’ve made this about four times over the last year and have another batch on the stove as we speak. This is delicious and so easy. Easy because I use the jarred kimchi in the produce section. Thanks for sharing.
I love your dang blog (especially the logo! RAWR! :P) and this recipe. I love Korean food but it can be hard to veganize it sometimes. Kimchi jjigae is a favorite :3.
I will say though that if gochujang is added that makes this dish not gluten free, unfortunately. Almost all store bought pastes have wheat in it. It's hard to find one that's traditionally made with just soy and chili pepper. Granted it's a small amount of wheat but it could trigger those with celiacs.
Keep up the awesome work! :)
Oh, thanks for the head's up! I just updated the post notes. And I'm so glad you're enjoying the blog and recipes. Thanks so much Claudia!
Does Kimchi (or any probiotic for that matter) lose it’s probiotic profile if it is heated?
Unfortunately it does! It's a good excuse to snack on kimchi while you're cooking. :)
This is perfect for the current weather. Will be giving it a shot. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Alex! Enjoy!!
Hi Alissa
Here is the ingredients for the delicious Congee I was telling you about with their house made spicy kimchi. I always try to go there for breakfast if I am traveling to Toronto. It's so good. Maybe you can create something similar?
Organic brown rice organic bok choy organic Kale carrots mushrooms and zucchini topped with sesame seeds, scallions organic toasted sesame oil, dulse and house made kimchi
That sounds delicious! I'll see what I can come up with. :)
Brown rice congee? Hmmmm... In China 'conjee' or "porridge" is cooked with a special kind of white rice. Not sure how the nuttiness of brown rice will fare...
Anyway, great recipe as usual. Although I'd use firm silken tofu or even silken tofu instead. That's how they usually do it in Korea restaurants. :)
Thanks Chery! You could definitely use silken tofu - I've had it served with that before, as well as with regular firm tofu. I suspected the silken was more authentic, but I went with firm tofu based on personal preference. :)
Sounds amazing! I love Kimchi! There is a restaurant in Toronto that serves a brown rice porridge with spicy homemade kimchi as a breakfast item. It is so delicious. I will send you the details and maybe you could recreate it?
Also maybe you could post a homemade kimchi recipe for us?
Thanks so much, love your recipes!
Thanks Adrienne! I have an old kimchi recipe that I'll work on updating - it needs a few improvements!
I would love to try to make your kimchi recipe! Can you please share that?
Right now I'm using a veganized version of this recipe: http://crazykoreancooking.com/recipe/kimchi-spicy-pickled-cabbage - I just omit the fish sauce and anchovy paste. I have an old recipe of my own, but it needs some work. I'll post it once I'm totally happy with it! :)
This was absolutely delicious!! Thank you very much for sharing the recipe :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Michelle!!
Yum! Thank you for such a delicious recipe. Yours looks more spicy than mine but still uber great. I shared my version today. Thanks!
You're welcome...and thank you for the link! I just scoped out your version and it sounds awesome. I thought about adding some fresh cabbage like you did to get the stew nice and hearty. I think I'll try that next time.
Ooh I love kimchi, and I had never thought of incorporating it in a stew - thanks for the inspiration:)
I had never thought of it either and was surprised the first time I saw this dish on a restaurant menu, but I tried it and it loved it...these days I put kimchi in everything. Thank you and enjoy!!
I love kimchi and am always looking for new ways to consume it, so thanks for sharing this recipe. Can't wait to try it!
Me too! Especially since I started making it myself - I now have a constant kimchi supply and I'm hooked. I'll probably have a few more posts on fun ways to eat kimchi in the coming weeks... Hope you enjoy this one!
oooh nice. I'm battling a cold right now and I bet kimchi stew would really help clear me out.
Sorry to hear that :(
I suppose it's that time of year - I had a nasty cold when I made this and it was exactly what I needed. Feel better soon!!