Anushka Gupta, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Kimchi is the national food of South Korea, and also one of the most beloved foods across the globe. Kimchi is basically a dish made of cabbage, gochujang paste, salt, and other spices and is kept for a few days or weeks to ferment. The longer it is preserved, the stronger its taste becomes. It is because of all those strong ingredients and the fermentation that kimchi gets its strong flavour and pungent smell. Kimchi can be said to be one of the most versatile dishes as there are numerous dishes that can be made using kimchi as the star ingredient. Let’s explore some of the popular yet unique dishes made with kimchi.

Kimchi Dumplings (Kimchi Mandu)

Dumplings are one of the most popular dishes across Asia, having different names across different countries. In Korea, the most popular dumpling is the kimchi dumpling. It is basically prepared by making flour dough and kimchi paired with meat/vegetables of your choice as the filling. The dough is rolled out in small circles and the kimchi filling is kept in the center of the rolled dough and then folded to desired shapes and steamed till cooked to perfection. It can be served with soy sauce or any dipping sauce of your choice or can be eaten as it is.

_{Picture Credit: Korean Bapsang}

Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap)

This is probably the easiest and the quickest dish made with kimchi, yet the heartiest and most scrumptious meal you can have. For this dish, all you need is chopped kimchi and some kimchi juice, leftover rice or fresh rice, vegetables and meat of your choice, salt to taste, and a little bit of oil. Heat the pan, add oil, toss in your vegetables and meat, fry them, add kimchi and rice and salt to taste. Toss all the ingredients in the pan till mixed or fried properly. Serve it steaming hot and enjoy.

Kimchi  Stew  (Kimchi Jjigae)

When you talk about dishes made with kimchi, you simply can’t miss out on kimchi stew. A warm and ultra comforting pot of steaming hot and spicy stew that is loaded with meat, tofu, vegetables, and the king kimchi. When the fat of meat dissolves in the broth, the taste of stew simply becomes heavenly. You can exclude meat if you are a vegetarian, and it’ll still be as heavenly as it always is.

Kimchi  Pancakes  (Kimchi  Buchimgae)

These pancakes are savoury unlike the western pancakes, which are mostly sweet. The Korean name for these pancakes is kimchi buchimgae, but some people also call it kimchi jeon. For this dish, all you need is kimchi and its juice (the stronger the juice, the better it is). Simply take wheat flour, add the kimchi and kimchi juice to it, and make a thick batter. Heat the pan, brush it with a little bit of oil, and spread the batter to get the desired size of your pancake. Cook it on both sides till golden brown. Cut it in bite sizes and enjoy.

Kimchi Udon

Udon is basically thick wheat noodles. All you need for this dish is thick wheat noodles (udon), kimchi, Korean spicy sauce, and bacon (you can exclude bacon if you are vegetarian and replace it with mushroom). Simply boil your noodles, then to the pan drizzle some oil, fry your bacon/mushrooms, then add udon, kimchi and Korean spicy sauce and mix them all together. Voila! Your delicious kimchi udon is ready.

_{Picture Credits: Tiffy Cooks}

Kimchi Pizza

Who doesn’t love pizza and who doesn’t love kimchi? Well, when you combine these two, you get kimchi pizza, a dish straight down from heaven. Simply, take a pizza base, add veggies of your choice, top it with kimchi, and finally some cheese. Shove it in the oven and bake till the base is crisp and the cheese melts to perfection. Your best dish ever is ready. Enjoy when hot for that gooey and heavenly cheese pull and enjoy the taste of this delectable pizza.

Do try these at your home and devour these amazing, soul-touching dishes and get ready within minutes. Life is too short to have regrets, so don’t wait for anyone and go ahead and enjoy your favourite dishes. Have you tried any of these dishes? Do let us know in the comments!