Pork Belly Kimchi Soup (GF)

Kimchi is an incredibly versatile condiment that adds a burst of flavor to most meals. This pork belly kimchi soup is quick, easy, and delicious! Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.

This soup is designed for using up sour kimchi (kimchi that has aged for more than 5 days). Using kimchi as the vegetables and flavor for this recipe reduces the prep time, making it a quick, 30-minute meal.

Since kimchi is probiotic and prebiotic, it is also a good way to feed your microbiome!

While most of my recipes are vegetarian, this soup is definitely not. If you’re looking for a meat-free meal, check out my vegan kimchi soup. It’s a meatless version of this traditional recipe.

Creating your Own Signature Soup

Pork belly kimchi soup is the perfect base for your own signature kimchi-inspired soup.

• Low carb: If you skip the tofu, then this soup is keto, paleo and low carb. The only trick is if you are super strict about your low-carb diet, then you’ll want to make homemade kimchi without carrots. However, fermentation will reduce the carbs in all of the kimchi vegetables, so store-bought kimchi is probably just fine.
• Noodle bowl: Turn this soup into a filling noodle bowl by adding a 200g package of rice noodles or buckwheat soba noodles to the soup pot for the final 10 minutes of cooking.
• Rice bowl: Feel free to serve the soup over a bowl of rice.
• Just the right spice: Traditional kimchi is quite spicy. However, it doesn’t have to be! Make this soup kid-friendly by using non-spicy vegetarian kimchi.
• No kimchi: Not a fan of kimchi? Then use two cups of diced vegetables, adding them during the last 5 minutes of boiling. I recommend carrots, sweet peas and broccoli.

Pork Belly Kimchi Soup

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This quick and easy pork belly kimchi soup is warming and delicious. It is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. See the suggestions above for taking this simple recipe and turning it into a keto-friendly soup or a  kid-friendly noodle bowl!

• Author: Emillie
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: Serves 3-4 1x
• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: Korean
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 lbs pork belly
• 2 spring onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 package of firm tofu (about 12 oz / 350 g)
• 5 cups of water
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce (or GF alternative)
• 2 cups of kimchi brine (see notes)
• 3 cups of kimchi vegetables

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Instructions

1. Slice the pork belly into bite-sized strips.
2. Dice the spring onions and garlic. Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes.
3. Put the water, pork belly, spring onions, garlic, soy sauce, and tofu into a large pot.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on.
5. After 30 minutes, add in the kimchi brine. Taste and add salt, if necessary. I have never felt the need for additional salt, which is why it isn’t on the ingredient list.
6. To cook the kimchi stir it into the boiling broth and let it cook for 5 minutes before serving. This will help to mellow out the flavors of the ginger, garlic, and onions.
7. For a probiotic soup serve the soup first, then add a spoonful of kimchi on top of each bowl.

Notes

• Depending on the method used to make kimchi, you may not have brine. Traditional recipes don’t usually involve making brine. However, I typically make a brine because it’s really the simplest way to ensure a good, no-fuss ferment. Adding the brine is optional. If you don’t have brine, simply add more water and a bit of salt, if needed.
• See the section above for how to add noodles to turn this soup into a noodle bowl instead.

Keywords: kimchi, keto, paleo, gluten-free, low-carb, probiotic, healthy, Asian, traditional, simple, 10-ingredients or less, kid-friendly, dinner