Kimchi, A Circuit Breaker Pantry Fave That Makes Fab Fried Rice & Cheese Sarnies  

Leftover rice stir-fried with piquant chopped cabbage counterpointed by creamy butter, briny bacon, umami mushrooms. Then crowned with gooey yolked eggs. Seriously, what’s not to like? Garnish it with spring onions or don’t (we know this is often sold out during these crazy times) — it’s delicious enough on its own. Alternatively, sprinkle on strips of seaweed if you have some.kimchi fried rice

Serves 4 pax

Ingredients:

70g butter + a small splash of vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced

50g bacon, cut into ¾ inch chunks (we like the back bacon from Swiss Butchery, it’s not too salty)

320g roughly chopped kimchi, plus 3 - 4 tbsp juice (from bottom of container), or to taste

200g enoki mushrooms

4 cups day-old cooked short-grain rice, about 640g (if freshly cooked, cool before using)

1-2 tsp soy sauce, or to taste

1 tbsp sesame oil, or to taste

4 eggs, cooked sunny side up

2 sprigs spring onions, chopped, for garnish (optional)*

1. Melt butter & oil in a wok over medium-low heat. Add onions & stir-fry for 1 to 2 mins.

2. Turn up heat to medium. Add bacon & fry till just lightly brown.

3. Add kimchi, kimchi juice & stir until it comes to a boil. Add mushrooms & stir briefly. Cook until all the liquid has almost evaporated.

4. Add rice and stir to mix thoroughly, about 5 mins. Add soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir, taste & add more soy sauce, kimchi juice & sesame oil if necessary.

5. Dish rice onto plates, top with sunny side up eggs (seasoned lightly with salt) & garnish with chopped spring onions if using.

The Koreans know a great interracial culinary marriage when they see one. Case in point: kimchi and cheese — if you’ve ever melted a slice of processed cheese in a bowl of instant kimchi ramen, you’ll know what we mean. Now, imagine a damn good grilled cheese sandwich with a fiery, sharp, garlicky kick to cut all that oozy, milky richness. Think of it as the perfect Asian-style pickle in this satisfyingly rich sarnie. Super easy to whip up, too.

Serves one

Ingredients:

2 large slices sourdough or white bread

Mayonnaise or butter, for spreading (mayo won’t burn as easily as butter)

¾ cup grated gruyere or mozzarella cheese (about 80g; we like a mix of both)

¼ cup (about 45g) kimchi, roughly chopped (or enough to generously cover a slice of bread)

1. Place a frying pan over medium-low heat. Smear mayonnaise or butter on one side of each slice of bread then place it mayo-side-down onto the pan.

2. Scatter cheese onto both slices of bread. Once cheese melts, place kimchi onto one slice. Top with the other slice of bread, cheese-side-down.

3. Press sandwich with a spatula and grill. Flip sandwich occasionally until it’s golden-brown & crispy. Remove from heat, slice in half & serve immediately.

Grilled cheese sandwich recipe adapted from The New York Times.

Florence Fong

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