Kimchi + Grilled Cheese = Kimcheese. We’ve converted a lot of grilled cheese purists with this recipe. Sharp cheddar and creamy fontina cheeses melt together with gochujang chili paste and kimchi, creating a Korean-inspired twist to an American standard.
What helps elevate this recipe is one of our favorite sandwich tips: using mayo on the outside of the bread. When you make them this way, there is no need to add oil or butter to your pan. The flavored mayo will help toast the bread and give it a rich and umami crispness. This recipe calls for a mayo flavored with a dash of sesame oil and some sesame seeds.
On the inside of the sandwich, spread Gochujang, a tangy korean chili paste. Gochujang comes in varying degrees of spiciness, depending on the brand, so it’s best if you taste it and decide how spicy you’d like your sandwich to be. We buy our gochujang from our local Asian market, but you can also buy it online, at grocery with a well stocked international section, or places like Whole Foods and World Market.
For the cheese, shred a combination of havarti and sharp cheddar into a mixing bowl, and add the whites and greens of some chopped green onions. The green onions add a lovely and subtle bite, especially paired with the gooey and melty havarti and cheddar cheeses.
Top it all off with a generous layer of kimchi, a fermented korean cabbage. Kimchi has an amazing profile – sour, spicy, a little crunchy, and complex. Vegetarians and vegans should note that traditional kimchi is made with fish and shrimp paste. It isn’t too difficult to find vegetarian/vegan kimchi – we sometimes get ours from the Trader Joe’s house brand or from the “Mother in Laws” brand which can be found at Whole Foods or online.
This sandwich pairs beautifully with a tomato soup. Enjoy this delightfully spicy twist on a classic.
Kimchi Grilled Cheese (Kimcheese)
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded cheese havarti and sharp cheddar
- 2 heaping tbsp mayo
- 3 green onions
- ¼ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 2 tsp gochujang
- ½ cup kimchi (vegan)
Instructions
- Prepare cheese: shred 1/2 cup each of havarti and sharp cheddar cheeses. Chop the whites and greens of two green onions. Add cheeses and green onions to a mixing bowl, and evenly combine.
- Prepare sesame mayo: to a small mixing dish, combine 2 tbsp mayonnaise, ¼ tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp sesame seeds, and a pinch of black pepper
- Heat up a pan on the stove on medium heat. The pan should be medium hot before the grilled cheese goes on it.
- Prepare your sandwiches. The sesame mayo should be on the outsides of the grilled cheese (on the sides that will touch the pan). The gochujang should be spread on the inside of one of the pieces (or both sides if you prefer extra spicy). Stack ¼ cup kimchi on each sandwich, along with ½ cup of the cheese mixture.
- Grill your sandwiches. The pan is hot enough when the sandwiches make a subtle sizzling noise. Grill each side of the sandwiches for 3-5 minutes. The first side will likely take longer, and will take less time as the pan continues to heat up. When finished, enjoy the grilled kimcheese sandwich immediately.
