Things You’d Never See in Korea: Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich
In the UK, this would be called a cheese toastie. Elsewhere, a grilled cheese. Either way, it’s bread, butter, heat.
In London, kimchi cheese toasties are everywhere.
Cafes, brunch menus, and Instagram reels are filled with thick sourdough, molten cheese, and kimchi spilling out the sides. Every time I see one, I have the same thought: this is comforting, and very un-Korean.
When I asked my Korean kimchi customers what they thought about kimchi grilled cheese, one of them laughed and said it looked like eating warm white rice in a bowl of milk instead of soup. Technically filling. Emotionally confusing.
And yet, this is something I make at home.
Not because it’s traditional. It isn’t. I never ate anything like this growing up in Korea. Kimchi belongs next to rice and soup not sealed inside bread with cheese. But London winters do something to you. You come home late, the fridge is half empty, and all you have is leftover sour kimchi, a few slices of sourdough, and a block of cheese that needs using.
Ten minutes. One pan. No ceremony.
When it works, it really works.
The secret is balance. Kimchi that’s too young tastes flat. Kimchi that’s too old takes over. Two to four weeks is the sweet spot, sour, alive, but not aggressive. Mozzarella gives stretch, but on its own it’s bland, so you need a sharper red cheese, like Red Leicester or mature cheddar, to anchor the flavour. And the bread matters more than people realise. It needs to be sliced thin enough for heat to travel through, otherwise the cheese never fully melts.
This isn’t a dish I’d serve to explain Korean food to anyone. It’s not heritage. It’s not identity. It’s winter food,quiet, practical, and made for cold evenings.
Leftover kimchi. Sourdough. Butter. That’s it.
Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Serves 2 | Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 slices sourdough bread, sliced under 1 cm thick
120 g kimchi (2- 4 weeks), lightly drained
80 g Red Leicester or mature cheddar, grated
70 g mozzarella, thinly sliced
20 g unsalted butter, softened
Optional: a pinch of gochugaru, sliced spring onions
Method
Butter one side of each slice of bread.
Place two slices butter side down. Scatter over half the grated cheese, followed by the kimchi, then the mozzarella. Finish with the remaining grated cheese and top with the other slices, butter-side up.
Heat a frying pan over medium-low. Cook the sandwiches slowly, 3-4 minutes per side, pressing gently, until the bread is golden and the cheese fully melted. Adjust the heat. Patience matters here.
Rest for a minute before slicing. Eat hot.
Notes from Kimmy
Thin bread matters. Thick slices look good but don’t melt properly.
Mozzarella stretches. Cheddar brings flavour. You need both.
If your kimchi is very sour, drain it well. Excess liquid ruins the crust.
Best eaten on cold days, with tomato soup, or nothing at all.
This isn’t the kimchi I grew up with.
But it is the food I make now,in this place, in this climate, on evenings when tradition and practicality quietly meet in a frying pan.
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