Kimchi Jjigae with Tuna

On January 16, 2026 0 Comments - Cooking

Kimchi jjigae with tuna (참치김치찌개) is a hot and satisfying dish that you can put together in a few minutes with as little as two or three ingredients. Below is a list of ingredients that I like to use but really, almost anything goes. Feel free to add different vegetables or leave out anything you don’t like. This recipe will make two smaller portions or one very large portion.

ingredients for kimchi jjigae with tuna

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of tuna in oil
  • 1 cup sour kimchi
  • 1/2 cup kimchi juice
  • 1 cup anchovy broth (or water)
  • 1/2 zucchini
  • 1 korean green chili pepper
  • 1 cup diced tofu
  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 green onions
  • sesame oil
  • salt
  • sugar

The ingredients in bold are essential. Everything else is optional. I am using veggies I have in the fridge. You can add or subtract anything you like. As long as you have some fermented kimchi and a can of tuna, you can make this. I like it with extra veggies and especially with tofu.

Use canned not fresh tuna. It is not the same. I am using Korean tuna in oil but any canned tuna is fine.

There is a link in the ingredients to a recipe for anchovy broth. You don’t need it but, it adds a lot of depth to dishes like these if you use it in place of water.

Process

ingredients all chopped up
Chop all your veggies into bite sized pieces.
frying vegetables in stainless pan
Heat your pan, add some oil and cook vegetables until they are warm and a little soft and translucent.
adding in sour kimchi
Drop in sour kimchi and warm it through.
adding kimchi juice
Add kimchi juice if you are using it.
adding anchovy broth
Add anchovy stock if you are using it. If you don’t have kimchi juice or anchovy stock, don’t worry. Just add enough water to cover and cook the vegetables.
covering pot
Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes.
adding tofu and canned tuna
After 20 minutes, add in tofu and tuna. Stir gently and cook until warm. Now is the time to taste and adjust seasoning. Add salt if you think it needs it. Add sugar for a little sweetness. Stir in a little chili powder or gochujang if you want it a little spicier. I ended up adding just a teaspoon of sugar and it was perfect for me.
the finished stew in a black bowl garnished with chopped green onion, sesame seeds and sesame oil
Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh green onion, sesame seeds and a little sesame oil.
finished dish of kimchi jjigae with tuna alongside a bowl of purple rice
I usually just eat this with a bowl of rice. I happen to have some peanut and anchovy banchan so I will have that too. Today I went shopping without my glasses to buy black AND white sesame seeds. When I got home, I found out that I actually bought white sesame seeds and a bag of black rice. Happy accident! Black rice is delicious. Add a spoonful of black rice to normal white rice in your rice cooker and you end up with this beautiful and savoury purple rice.

Variations

As I mentioned at the start, you can put just about anything you want into this dish. There is no definitive recipe for kimchi jjigae. Aged sour kimchi and a can of tuna are the only must haves. Experiment with all kinds of veggies. I also love smoky bacon in this dish. Fry it up with your veggies at the start.

If you are using water instead of kimchi juice, you can stir in a little gochujang for extra colour, flavour and spice if you like.

If you do not have anchovy broth but you do have anchovies and kelp on hand: take a square of kelp and a few dry anchovies and tie them in a little sack of cheesecloth. Add them to the simmering jjigae at the start. This will give you a similar flavour to anchovy broth. Just pull them out and discard after 15-20 minutes.

For a good recipe for homemade kimchi have a look HERE.

If you have any questions or comments or suggestions, please leave them below. I always look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for reading TigerSalad!

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