Right by my work at the top of Mt Eden Road is the hilariously named “Wang Mart” – a Korean grocery shop selling mostly Korean goods. Within the shop is a counter where a lady makes kim-chi all day and sells a small selection of fresh vegetables. A kilo tub of her kim-chi will set you back a measly $8NZ. I’m no kim-chi expert, but I know a bargain when I see one.
Kim-chi is a fermented food (mostly napa cabbage) and as such is very good for you. I’ll snack on kim-chi on it’s own or as a condiment/side to Asian meals. It is sour, savoury, spicy all at the same time and makes me salivate just thinking about it. Think sauerkraut with a kick.
I don’t know what inspired me to do it, but yesterday I made a grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar and kim-chi. It was phenomenal. Oh the CRUNCH, the SOUR, the SALT, the HEAT.
So good I had it again for breakfast this morning.
Now I’m sure the white bread and cheese probably cancel out the health benefits of the kim-chi but let’s just say we’re back to zero. At least this zero is delicious.
I hopped online to see kim-chi and cheese was “a thing” and it turns out I didn’t invent this combo. Not even close. Grilled Cheese and Kim-Chi sandwich recipes have been published by The NZ Herald (Donna Hay), Serious Eats, The Food Network, The Times, and The Steamy Kitchen just to name a few.
Variations include mozzarella, mayo, bacon, green apple, spring onion and even ramen! I imagine a fried egg would also be a nice touch.
This time, I’m not posting a recipe because I think free-styling is the best option for sandwiches. Besides, I’m sure smart peeps like you could figure it out.
Fun fact: Koreans say “kim-chi” instead of “cheese” when having their picture taken. Now they can say “Kim-Cheese!”
What do you think? Is this sandwich combo weird to you? Would you try it?
Edit: I tried this again with additions of mayo and a fried egg. Epic!
Bunny Eats Design 
I would love that, I just know it. I have a bit of a soft spot for fermented food.
yummy!! I love Kimchi too!
I will so be trying that. Sounds weird at first but then pickles and chutneys are great in a toasted cheese sandwich so maybe it’s not so cray cray! (As all the young kids say.)
I do like kimchi and never thought to do this before. I like eating grilled cheese with yellow mustard or pickles or salt & vinegar potato chips so this sounds awesome.
I’d try it.
Yep.
Ah, so this is the sandwich you told me of many moons ago… or was that someone else in blogland? I think it was you… anyway, i have a pile of kimchi that has grilled chi sandwich written all over it! 🙂
It wasn’t me but it’s a real good thing. You should do it!
Doing it tomorrow!
This looks amazing! It also makes me long for a cold beer.
Oh yes, I imagine this would be great afterwork drinks or game night snacking 🙂
Must figure out a way to make this gluten-free. It looks fantastic.
Kim-chi should be gluten free (double check the ingredients to make sure) so all you need is gluten free bread which is easy to come by these days. I even keep some in my freezer 🙂