Kimchi Soup

There is a kimchi soup I had stuck in my mind for years. I encountered it at Namu Gaji, a lively, welcoming, neighborhood spot run by the three (Dennis, Daniel, and David) Lee Brothers. Th restaurant was situated diagonally across from Dolores Park in San Francisco, and was the perfect place to settle in along the street-facing bank of windows to chat and people-watch over sizzling okonomiyaki or a fiery stonepot of market vegetables. I would see the Namu Gaji crew often at the Saturday morning farmer’s market, shopping for ingredients or feeding market-goers from their Namu stall. Lots of heart on all fronts.

Kimchi Soup: The Inspiration

The soup – I don’t remember it being on the menu, although it could have been. I simply remember chatting about soup with one of the waitstaff there and shortly thereafter a bowl of fire-brothed magic appeared. It was a cabbage soup, but feisty and invigorating with lots of spice. You could see the flecks of red throughout, and the broth had little pools of spicy goodness suspended on top. I remember thinking to myself, it was as if someone had brothed out some amazing kimchi and called it a day – deceptively simple, in the best way possible.

This is what I was attempting to channel when I stepped into the kitchen to prepare today’s recipe. I added mushrooms and tofu, broccoli, and some other tasty flare to make a substantial one-pot meal of it – feel free to use as many, or as few, of the suggested toppings as you like.

Suggested Toppings and Ingredients

roasted cherry tomatoes
scallions
sautéed or roasted mushrooms
green onions
furikake or sesame seeds
fresh lemon or lime juice

More Soup Recipes

A little side note, if you enjoy making soups as much as I do, you’ll want to start making your own homemade bouillon powder. So easy, and nice to keep on hand!