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Kimchi Stew
김치찌개
Korea's beloved stew made with well-fermented kimchi, pork, and tofu. Its bold, spicy flavor makes you devour bowl after bowl of rice — true Korean soul food.
🍶 Drink Rankings
By compatibility score1
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Kimchi Stew × Soju
Kimchi jjigae and soju seem hardwired into the Korean DNA. One spoonful of the fiery, tangy stew followed by a shot of soju washes away the day's stress, and mixing in a bowl of hot rice takes it to absolute perfection. The office worker's eternal lunch combo at the neighborhood restaurant.
94
2
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Kimchi Stew × Makgeolli
Makgeolli's gentle sweetness wraps around kimchi jjigae's sour and spicy flavors in a warm embrace. At a country grandmother's house, aged kimchi jjigae with makgeolli is heartwarming beyond words. Makgeolli's thick texture also pairs well with the stew's rich broth.
76
3
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Kimchi Stew × Beer
Beer's cold fizz cools kimchi jjigae's spice, but the temperature contrast between hot stew and cold beer can feel a bit jarring. For those who don't handle spice well, beer helps soothe the heat. A lighter alternative when you don't want soju.
72
4
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Kimchi Stew × Draft Beer
A cold draft beer helps cool kimchi jjigae's spicy heat. When you want something lighter than soju, draft beer is a decent alternative, and a light lager finds some balance with the fiery stew.
70
5
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Kimchi Stew × Fruit Soju
Fruit soju's sweetness gently soothes kimchi jjigae's sharp spiciness. A good alternative for those who find regular soju's bitterness too much, especially for those sensitive to spicy food.
70
6
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Kimchi Stew × Sake
Warm sake with kimchi jjigae is surprisingly not bad. Sake's umami melds with the stew's deep flavors, and enjoying kimchi jjigae izakaya-style with sake is a legitimate approach.
58
7
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Kimchi Stew × Highball
A highball's carbonation briefly cools kimchi jjigae's heat, but whiskey's flavor and kimchi's fermented funk clash. A very light highball might work, but soju is a far superior match.
55
8
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Kimchi Stew × IPA Craft Beer
IPA's bitterness and kimchi jjigae's spiciness hit your tongue simultaneously, creating an overwhelming double assault. Both have such strong personalities that the result is a muddled, chaotic flavor experience.
48
9
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Kimchi Stew × Whiskey
The fiery broth of kimchi jjigae meeting whiskey's high alcohol puts serious strain on both tongue and stomach. Kimchi's fermented character and whiskey's aged character undermine each other, and harmony is nearly impossible to achieve. Enjoy whiskey separately after the meal.
32
10
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Kimchi Stew × Wine
Kimchi jjigae's intense fermented flavors and spiciness completely overwhelm wine's delicate aromas. Wine's tannins meeting kimchi's sourness can produce an unpleasant metallic taste. Among Korean dishes, few clash with wine as badly as kimchi jjigae.
30
11
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Kimchi Stew × Bokbunja Wine
Bokbunja's sweetness and kimchi jjigae's intense fermented flavor form one of the worst possible combos. They completely undermine each other's taste, and an unpleasant aftertaste may linger. Strongly not recommended.
28
12
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Kimchi Stew × Cocktail
Kimchi jjigae and cocktails are hard to even imagine together. The stew's powerful flavors overwhelm any cocktail's nuance, and no cocktail can find harmony here. Soju or makgeolli is the right answer for kimchi jjigae.
25
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