Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich

It's more like a jazzed-up version of a regular grilled cheese sandwich. With the help of tangy and spicy Korean kimchi, for sure we are adding a little kick to this all-time comforting meal.

Kimchi grilled cheese sandwich - 

Ingredients (2 portions)?

• 4 slices hearty European style bread 
• 4 to 6 tablespoons chopped Korean kimchi
• 4 slices cheddar cheese squares
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese squares
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Some seaweed flavor chips (optional)

How?

Remove the butter from the fridge and let it warm up under room temperature till soft enough to easily spread on toast. 

Give the kimchi a few more chops if the cabbage pieces are too big. We are going to use about 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped kimchi per serving.

As for bread slices, my first aim was to use sour dough bread, but with little luck at the grocery store, I switched to another hearty European style bread instead. Spread the butter on one side of each bread slices. If unsure which side, you can try to put the bread slices together like a sandwich, you're going to spread the butter on the outer side.

So to assemble the sandwich, you'll have buttered side slices on the very top and bottom. In the middle, that's where you'll put 2 slices of cheddar, chopped kimchi, then 2 slices of mozzarella. Repeat to make one more sandwich.

Take a grill pan and turn to medium meat. Transfer the entire sandwich over, there you will have one buttered side bread slice in direct touch with the pan. Start searing the sandwich while pressing it down with some force using a spatula. 

Once you get some nice grilled marks, flip the entire sandwich to the other side and continue to press and sear for more pretty grill marks. The cheese slices in the center might appear stiff still, but should be well-melted by the time the sandwich is ready.

Bring the sandwiches to a cutting board and slice in half. Transfer to serving plate and pour some seaweed flavor chips on the side if preferred.

You can swap the type of cheese square used, but be sure to keep the cheddar since it'll provide extra salty flavor to the sandwich. I chose mozzarella for its creaminess, which can balance off the spicy note from the kimchi.

Japanese Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry (Ebi Chili エビチリ)

Japanese spicy shrimp stir-fry, or ebi chili, was actually originated from the Sichuan province in China. However, the flavor has been modified to suit the Japanese taste. So think of it as a more Chinese style Japanese dish. But don't take it wrong, ebi chili is still a well-seasoned and can be considered as heavy, more so rice-killing dish. It got many flavors, sweet, sour, spicy, all happening in one place. I bet both Japanese and Chinese will fall for ebi chili, simply too irresistible.

Japanese spicy shrimp stir-fry /Ebi Chili/エビチリ -

Ingredients?

• 16 to 18 medium sized shrimp
• 1 garlic clove
• Tiny piece ginger
• 1 stalk scallion or Japanese naga negi
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or other preferred cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Some corn starch and water mixture

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon rice cooking wine 
• 1 teaspoon grated garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• Tiny pinch salt
• Tiny pinch black pepper

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon Chinese spicy bean paste 辣豆瓣醬
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar

How?

Peel and devein the shrimp. 

Mix all the ingredients under the "marinade" section to a bowl. Add in the shrimps and give it a gentle massage. Let it marinate while prepping other ingredients.

Mix all the ingredients under the "sauce" section to another bowl, set aside for later use.

Peel and chop the garlic clove, need about 1 teaspoon chopped garlic here. Peel and finely chop the ginger, also need about 1 teaspoon here. Destem the scallion or naga negi. Chop it and separate the green and white parts. Need about 4 tablespoons of chopped white section, the green section will be used for garnish in the end, 1 tablespoon is enough.

Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil or preferred cooking oil to a non-stick pan and turn to medium high heat. Add in chopped garlic along with chopped ginger. Give it a quick stir, about 10 to 20 seconds, or till aromatic but not burning the bits. 

Transfer the shrimp along with its marinade to the pan and cook till nearly fully cooked through.

Pour in premixed sauce along with white section of the chopped scallion or naga negi. Give it a few tosses, continue to cook for another 20 to 30 seconds.

Switch to low heat. Prepare small amount of corn starch and water mixture. Make sure to blend well before pouring to the pan. Remember to gently stir the entire mixture while pouring in the corn starch water to prevent lumps. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in the end. 

Plate and garnish with green section of the chopped scallion or naga negi. 

This recipe uses more ingredients, or more prepping steps compared to most of my other dishes. However, the marinade and the sauce can be prepared ahead of time. So when it comes to the actual cooking process, it's quite easy and hassle-free.

By the way, for the ketchup used in this recipe, I chose Japanese style ketchup instead of something like America's Heinz. Japanese version, per my opinion, is more sourish and not as thick, which works really well with Asian seafood recipes.

Other shrimp related recipes:

• Chicken and shrimp tagliatelle in creamy saffron sauce
• Lemon garlic butter shrimp 
• Peas and shrimp quick stir-fry