Dukbokki and Kimchi Jigae

I made my own version of dukbokki today. I used the instructional video on Youtube made by Maangchi, but the sauce was more like the sauce made by aeriskitchen when she made ddeokggochi (skewered sticky rice cakes). I made the anchovy stock like Maangchi does, but then after that I added all the extra stuff that aeriskitchen put in her sauce. The last time I made dukbokki it was a simple sauce (anchovy stock, sugar, and kochujang), and it still tasted good. I think it is better with the extra ingredients though, and the crushed peanuts really added an extra layer of flavor and texture. If you have the time, it is worth the extra effort, but if you don't have the time, the simple way is still really good. My boys wouldn't even try it because the smell of the anchovies when I made the stock grossed them out.

I also made my own version of kimchi jigae a few weeks ago. I didn't use pork belly because I didn't have any. I had some bacon drippings in the fridge, so I used that instead. I also did not have tofu, so I added some egg for the protein. I used the recipe that Maangchi put on youtube of her kimchi chigae, but I used aeriskitchen's video of Korean Kimchi Ramon for the instructions on how to add the egg. She breaks the egg into the soup but does not break the egg up until the white has cooked, and then she uses a chopstick to break up the yolk. That worked well. I thought it was delicious. My boys really liked this!

I found these pictures of some ways to add protein to dukbokki. The first picture has octopus, and the second one has boiled eggs.