Kimchi-jjigae is my London winter survival kit

When it's grey and drizzling for the fifth day in a row, I make kimchi-jjigae. The secret is old kimchi. The sourer it is, the better the stew. I make mine vegetarian: fry the kimchi in a little oil, add the water from rinsing rice, gochugaru, mushrooms and plenty of tofu. Twenty minutes and it tastes like it's been cooking all day. Pork belly or tinned tuna are the classic additions if you eat them. If you live outside Korea: buy a big jar of kimchi, eat half fresh, and leave the rest in the fridge for a few weeks just for jjigae. Heat level: properly warming, not scary.