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3 Halal Kimchi Dishes To Make When You Start Missing Korea

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Have Halal Will Travel •  Dec 08, 2015

Take your taste buds on a trip down memory lane (if you've ever been to Korea) or prepare yourself for that once in a lifetime trip (if you're planning to visit soon!) with these super easy dishes to make with none other than Korea's national dish - kimchi!

Okay we admit, it might be a bit of an acquired taste for less adventurous taste buds but there must be a reason why 99% of Koreans eat it at every meal, consuming around 35kgs of it a year ?

We've sourced out easy recipes that you can use readily available halal ingredients in, so eat your kimchi and you’ll be dancing like these guys in no time!

Making your own kimchi is a bit of a tall order (it takes hours of fermentation), but worry not as there are a number of Korean brands with halal certified kimchi. (For those in Malaysia, lucky you! You can easily find these in major supermarkets...)

Kimchi Collage

P.S: Did you know that kimchi is also one of the healthiest food in the world? We sure didn’t! It’s high in antioxidants and even has cancer-fighting agents!

Now that you’ve added halal kimchi to your grocery list, how about some easy recipes that you can try out?

1. Kimchi Pancakes (Kimchijeon)

Pancakes don’t only need to be with maple syrup, they’re delicious with kimchi too! This is one of our favourite dishes to have at Korean restaurants, and now you can make it at home ?

Kimchijeon
Credit: thekitchn

The good folks of the kitchn have a super simple recipe for kimchijeon, with notes on how to make an easy dipping sauce to go with your pancake too! Yum yum!

Here’s another easy recipe you can try from My Korean Kitchen!

2. Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae)

This hot and and slightly sour soup (think Korean version of Thailand’s famous Tom Yum) is just the thing if you’re looking for a good old bowl of comfort food.

Tuna Kimchi Jjigae
Credit: kfoodaddict

Here's a Chamchi [참치] aka tuna version of Jjigae [찌개] (stew in Korean) with easy to follow instructions from K Food Addict. Kimchi jjigae is traditionally made with meats, so we're super excited to find a seafood version!

#HHWT Tip: You can also make kimchi jjigae with chicken, beef or tofu. Using beef / chicken / seafood / vegetable broth makes it taste even richer!

3. Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap)

We love our fried rice. So why not have it with a Korean twist? Kimchi fried rice (or also known as kimchi bokkeumbap) is soooo good! (It’s one of our favourites!).

Kimchi fried rice
Credit: Tasting Table

Use up that extra kimchi and rice lying around and whip this up in a jiffy!

You can add chicken, beef or prawns too - whatever tickles your fancy! You might not want to have your regular fried rice after making this! ?

#HHWT Tip: If you can't find halal gochujang at your nearest grocery store, you can substitute it by mixing chili powder with tauchu (bean paste that you can purchase at almost any Asian food store), sugar, sesame oil and a little bit of water. This makes a paste that's similar...Or just use any chilli paste / powder you have lying around, add it with a little soy sauce and a pinch of sugar. That works too! If you're looking to make things less spicy, you can always skip it and just stick to those kimchi flavours ?

We’ve even tried making kimchi pasta with cream! Sounds kinda weird we know but it’s actually really delicious! How are you going to eat your kimchi today?