Read here about why Kimchi Jigae and Mash constitutes an unquestionably British fusion dish. Or continue on if all you want to know is how to make a hearty, traditional Korean-British soup-and-mash combo that’s perfect for rainy days (i.e. everyday in the UK).

MASH

1 Buy potatoes. (I used baby Jersey Royal potatoes in this case, but only because they were half price and had the British flag on the packaging. Normally, bigger potatoes are easier to mash.)

2 Boil ‘em in a pot o’ water (until they are soft enough to be mashed, around 5-7 minutes).

3 Mash ‘em with a fork.

4 Fold in little chunks of butter and keep on mashing.

5 Season the mash with salt and pepper to taste.

[If you're feeling adventurous, try using sweet potatoes with a bit 'o cinnamon -- but only a little bit!]

Recipe courtesy of Dominic John Stockbridge

KIMCHI JIGAE

INGREDIENTS (for 3-4 servings)

• pork belly sliced in rectangular chunks, as much as your appetite dictates (I go for about ½  – 1 pound for a few servings). Tuna is also a good alternative, as is not using any meat or fish at all.

NB: My mom recommends boiling the pork in water for a few minutes first, and then cutting it into chunks and adding it into the pot for the soup; that way, some of the excess fat will fall off in the pre-cooking stage, and it’ll be easier to cut as well.

• 2 bunches of scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces

• 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 shallots, chopped into thin, lengthwise sections

• 1 TBS of grated fresh ginger

• several mushrooms, sliced (or, if you are in a literal mood and need an exact number, let’s say…6.58 mushrooms.)

• 1 jalapēno (with seeds), thinly sliced

• 1 1/2 cups of kimchi, along with its constituent juice

NB: The more kimchi juice you put in, the better, but if you don’t have enough, then use more Korean red pepper powder.

• 2-3 TBS of Korean red pepper flakes (or more depending on if the color is red enough and the broth is spicy enough

NB: I couldn’t find this in Oxford, and substituted by adding more kimchi, since that already has red pepper flakes as part of its marinade

• a few squirts of Asian fish sauce

NB: This is just to round out the soup with a salt flavoring. If you don’t have it, add more salt to taste right before serving. The kimchi will release a salty flavor into the soup as well.

• soft tofu, cubed, as much as you want (I usually put in about 1-2 small packages worth of tofu

Public Service Announcement: watch out when you peel the top off the plastic container; tofu water will squirt out at you, just like yogurt does when you open those tricky little cups. Actually, it’s much easier to slit the top open with a knife, and then peel the plastic covering back. Likewise, it’s best to cube the tofu with a knife right in the original packaging.

DIRECTIONS

1 Put all the ingredients (except the tofu) into a medium-sized pot.

2 Add cold water to the pot until it just barely covers the ingredients.

3 Cover the pot and bring it to a rapid boil. Once a boil has been reached, turn the heat down to keep everything simmering for about 25 minutes, so as to cook the pork and soften the kimchi.

NB: If there’s anything I’ve learned from watching my mom make this dish, it’s the fact that the pot will overflow because there’s so much stuff in the bowl. If your pot is really big you should be fine, but keep an eye on it!

4 Add the soft tofu, bring the soup back up to a boil and then let it simmer for 5 more minutes.

5 Add salt to taste, and then you are ready to serve it up!

Recipe courtesy of my mom, Sunnie, and my sister, Dina. And my dad as well, for moral support!

This recipe is from my writing for #LetsLunch, a group of writers and food enthusiasts from around the world. Every month, we decide on a category of food, devise a recipe to make and then tell a story about our culinary adventures.

Peruse more Let’s Lunch holiday offerings below; if you’d like to join, Tweet a message with the hashtag #Letslunch — or submit a comment on any of the posts below!

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Cheryl‘s Goan Pork Curry Tacos at Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

Eleanor‘s Wok Picadillo at Wok Star

Ellise‘s Salty Lime Sablés (Margarita Cookies) at Cowgirl Chef

Emma‘s Kimchi Bulgogi Nachos at Dreaming of Pots And Pans

Felicia‘s Mexican-Lebanese Hummus at Burnt-Out Baker

Grace‘s Taiwanese Fried Chicken at HapaMama

Jill‘s Southern Pimento-Stuffed Knishes at Eating My Words

Joe‘s Grilled KimCheese Sandwich at Joe Yonan

Juliana‘s Fusion Chicken Casserole at Food, Fun & Life

Karen‘s Ukrainian-German Cabbage Rolls at GeoFooding

Leigh‘s Venezuelan-Italian Cachapas Con Queso at Leigh Nannini

Linda‘s Project Runway Pelau: Rice & Beans Trinidad-Style at Spicebox Travels

Linda‘s Edible Salad Totes at Free Range Cookies

Lisa‘s Sunday Night Jewish-Chinese Brisket at Monday Morning Cooking Club

Lucy‘s Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango at A Cook And Her Books

Maria‘s Spanish Shrimp with Bacon, Cheddar & Chive Grits at Maria’s Good Things

Nancie‘s Chili-Cheese Biscuits with Avocado Butter at Nancie McDermott

Patricia‘s Buttery Tofu, Pasta & Peas at The Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook

Rashda‘s Mango Cobbler at Hot Curries & Cold Beer

Renee‘s Asian-Spiced Quick Pickles at My Kitchen And I

Steff‘s Chicken Fried Steak at The Kitchen Trials

Vivian‘s Funky Fusion Linguini at Vivian Pei