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Prep time
5 minutes
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Cook time
15 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
Fried kimchi is my go-to comfort food. Spicy, tangy, salty, with just the right amount of sweetness. A bowl of rice or a fried egg may sound like the perfect way to go about it, but on a second thought... Think layers of gooey cheese, think crispy bread, and a hefty punch of fried kimchi. Give this decadent sandwich a try, and it may change the way you define perfection. Or happiness. I am not particular about the choice of bread for this recipe (white sandwich is a classic, but sourdough is fantastic too), but I am a stickler when it gets to cheese. You want Swiss, Emmental, Jarlsberg or similar mild, sweet cheese to contrast the sharpness of the kimchi. And don’t skip on the mayo -- with a higher smoke point than butter and eggs yolks in it, it's the secret behind the scrumptious golden-brown crust. —QueenSashy
Ingredients
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1 tablespoon
sunflower oil
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2 cups
kimchi, drained and chopped into bite-sized pieces
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1/2 teaspoon
sugar
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3-4 tablespoons
butter, softened
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3-4 tablespoons
mayonnaise
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8
slices white sandwich bread
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8
slices Swiss cheese
Directions
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Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kimchi and stir-fry for about one minute, until the kimchi begins to soften. Add the sugar and continue to stir fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the kimchi begins to caramelize around the edges. Remove from the heat and divide into 4 portions.
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In a small bowl, mix the softened butter and mayonnaise until fully combined.
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Build the sandwich. Butter a piece of bread with about two teaspoons of the butter-mayonnaise mixture. (Make sure to butter the bread to the very edges, otherwise it will stick to the skillet.) Place one slice of the cheese on the dry side of the bread (not the buttered side). Top the cheese with fried kimchi. Top the kimchi with the second slice of cheese, and then complete with another slice of bread. Butter the outside of the bread with two teaspoons of the butter-mayonnaise mixture.
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Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. (If you are using the same skillet you fried the kimchi in, clean it first so that sandwiches do not burn.) Place the sandwiches in the skillet. Cook until the bread is golden brown and crisp, and the cheese is melted. It will take about 5 to 6 minutes per side. (Keep an eye on the heat -- if the skillet is too hot, the bread will be done before the cheese melts). Flip each sandwich over and cook the other side for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese begins to melt. Remove the sandwiches from the skillet, slice in halves or quarters, and serve immediately.
Aleksandra aka QueenSashy is a scientist by day, and cook, photographer and doodler by night. When she is not writing code and formulas, she blogs about food, life and everything in between on her blog, Three Little Halves. Three Little Halves was nominated for 2015 James Beard Awards and the finalist for 2014 Saveur Best Food Blog Awards. Aleksandra lives in New York City with her other two halves, Miss Pain and Dr. V.
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