We all love a good grilled cheese sandwich, right? But, have you ever made a kimchi grilled cheese? If you’re a kimchi lover, “I know most people are either lovers or total haters of kimchi”, but for all you lovers this recipe is for you incase you’ve never tried kimchi grilled cheese panini. It is the kind with an endless cheese pull, perfectly golden crunchy edges and the brilliance of the spicy gochujang butter + briny goodness of kimchi is totally a grownup grilled cheese sandwich for 2021.
How to make a darn good Kimchi Panini
- Ideally start with a homemade kimchi if possible, if not get the really good stuff. I found Asian markets across the U.S stock really good ones some directly imported from Korea. My favorite brand is Bibigo. If thats hard to find I also like locally made ones available at many grocery stores. I also love this brand.
- A good smearing of Gochujang butter adds a ton of flavor so don’t miss that.
- Any mild cheese is preferred, there’s a lot of flavor going on in the sandwich, so I would avoid a strong full bodied cheese.
Kimchi Grilled Cheese Panini Makes 3-4 sandwiches
The slightly grown-up version of everyone’s favorite childhood sandwich. Spicy kimchi, sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh basil, all sandwiched together between two slices of sesame (garlic) buttered sourdough bread.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Napa kimchi, drained a little and roughly chopped
- 2-3 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach leaves
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, optional
- 2 large cloves garlic, grated
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 4-6 slices thick cut Levain or sourdough bread, whole grain preferred
- ½ cup mild cheddar or mozerella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup gruyere cheese, shredded
- GARNISH
- fresh chives or green onions, for serving
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of butter and garlic, it should have a spreadable consistency.
- In a separate bowl mix the gochujang, the remaining butter, sesame oil (if using) and honey or maple to thin it out.
- Spread the outside of the sliced bread with garlic butter mix and the inside of the slices of bread with Gochujang honey mix. (see image)
- Next, evenly layer 1-2 tablespoons of the cheeses followed by a layer of kimchi, then a layer of spinach and top it with another 2 tablespoons of the remaining cheese.
- Top the piece of bread with the garlic buttered side facing up. Place the sandwiches, one at a time, on the medium heat skillet or panini maker and cook until golden on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side (depending on the heat). Serve topped with chives and sesame seeds.
- Makes 3-4 sandwiches depending on the size of the bread slices..
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