Kimchi Stew Rice Cakes & Shredded Pork

Method

Heat the grapeseed oil in a stockpot over a medium heat. After giving it a minute or so, add the roasted onions and cook, stirring regularly, for a minute or two, until warmed through. Add the radish and cabbage kimchis and broth, turn the heat up to medium-high and let the flavours mingle and integrate for 5 to 6 minutes after the broth comes to a simmer. Skim off any impurities. Add the meat to the pot and stir to incorporate and warm it through. Add the mirin and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste the soup and add salt, if needed, but that's rarely the case with this soup, because kimchi is salty. The sweetness of mirin can tame the sourness of super-fermented kimchi, so add more mirin if you feel you need to reel in the kimchi flavour. When the mix is right, add the rice cakes to the pot. Once the rice cakes are warmed through—probably no more than 30 seconds (they'll keep cooking as the soup sits, so there's no need to boil the hell out of them)—portion the soup into bowls. Top each with lots of sliced spring onions, then lots of julienned carrots and serve with the rice cakes on the side.