• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Fermenting for Foodies

Health, Taste and Tradition

  • Fermentation
    • General Information
    • Beans, Nuts & Seeds
    • Beer, Wine, & Cider
    • Dairy & Cheese
    • Fermented Fruit
    • GF Sourdough
    • Trad Sourdough
    • Probiotic Beverages
    • Vegetables
    • Supplies
  • Healthy Meals
    • Appetizers
    • Baked Goods
    • Breakfasts
    • Condiments
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides & Salads
    • Soups & Stews
    • Desserts
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Fruit-Sweetened Treats
  • Cookbook

Pork Belly Kimchi Soup (GF)

How to make kimchi soup with pork and tofu
One-pot, easy pork belly kimchi soup.

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.

Simple pork belly kimchi soup for a quick weeknight meal.

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.
A bowlful of pork belly kimchi soup with tofu.
Print

Pork Belly Kimchi Soup

How to make kimchi soup with pork and tofu
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 Scale
  • 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

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

Filed Under: Soups & StewsTagged With: Keto, Korean, Paleo

Previous Post: « The Different Types of Fermentation
Next Post: Fermented Quinoa: High in fiber, protein, and probiotics »

Reader Interactions

Related Posts

Fermented gazpacho for easier digestion
Fermented Gazpacho (GF & Vegan)
Kimchi soup is ready in 15 minutes
Quick Tofu Kimchi Soup (GF & Vegan)
Why whey is traditional in minestrone soup
Vegetarian Minestrone Soup with Whey

How to make a simple miso soup in less than 10 minutes!
Restaurant-Style Simple Miso Soup (Vegan & GF)
Simple, 30-minute peanut butter stew.
Simple Peanut Butter Stew (GF & Vegan)
Vegetable-packed and healthy chicken soup
Healthy Chicken Soup with Turmeric and Miso

Comments

  1. Joe

    August 15, 2022 at 5:03 pm

    This is a great dish.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie Parrish

      August 16, 2022 at 3:46 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Emillie, an island-dwelling fermentation enthusiast. Fermenting For Foodies features healthy recipes designed to feed your microbiome.
Read More →

Check Out My Cookbook!

Fermenting Made Simple Cookbook

Want healthy recipes right to your inbox? Subscribe to our mid-month newsletter!

Thank you!

Please check your inbox to confirm your subscription.

Affiliate Disclosure

In order to run this site, Fermenting For Foodies sometimes earns an affiliate commission on the sales of products we link to. We only feature items we genuinely want to share, and this is an arrangement between the retailer and Fermenting For Foodies. Readers never pay more for products. Thank you for reading!

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Sponsored Content
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · Fermenting for Foodies