Kimchi Egg Sando
For when the Big Bad Thing happens
Prep time: 10 min | Total time: 25 min | Difficulty: 1/5
Little bad things happen all the time — if they didn’t, this blog would make very little sense, and I would have a much better posture and a far more respectable body count. But they do. They vary in size, colour, and recovery time. Walking in on your in-law in the bathroom that they forgot to lock? Bad, but probably worse for them. Showing up at the vet clinic for your dog’s vaccine only to realise you forgot the dog at home? Also bad, but probably happens to other people (right? RIGHT!?). Flirting with the vet in an attempt to appear charming, to no avail? Pretty bad, still not sure how to recover from that one.
Big Bad Things, on the other hand, leave you no space for denial or blame-shifting. They take over your whole existence — sometimes for a little while, sometimes for a lifetime, or at least until you develop a new personality. You forget what the point of having a kitchen is. Your fridge becomes a graveyard for expired condiments. You cry at Uber Eats notifications. You develop strong opinions about sponges.
I think this sandwich is all I ate for about three days post-the Big Bad Thing — just because I had all necessary ingredients in the fridge/pantry, leaving the house was unimaginable, but I knew I needed sustenance. It was an easy, fatty, gooey, pan-fried act of survival. And when everything else was falling apart, this, somehow, held together*.
*Due to high fat content
Ingredients (serves 1)
Eggs 2
Kimchi 1 tbsp
Green onion 1 stalk
Cheddar 30g / 1 oz
Kewpie mayo 1 tbsp
Salt & pepper to taste
Shokupan or brioche or other soft buttery bread 2 slices
Pasta 80g / 2.8 oz dry
Butter 10g / 0.35 oz (for frying)
Equipment
Small pot
Bowl (for ice bath)
Knife
Cutting board
Cheese grater
Small bowl
Frying pan
Spatula
Method
Drag yourself out of bed
Place the eggs in a small pot, cover with cold water, and set it on the stove over high heat. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking for a total of 15 minutes for slightly jammy yolks
While the eggs cook, prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl with cold water and ice
Finely chop the kimchi and green onion. Set aside
Grate the cheddar cheese. Set aside
Once the eggs are done, transfer them immediately to the ice bath to cool completely. This makes peeling easier and keeps the yolks just the right texture
Peel the eggs and chop them roughly
In a small bowl, combine the chopped eggs, kimchi, grated cheddar, green onion, Kewpie mayo, a generous crack of black pepper, and salt to taste. Stir to combine
Take the slices of bread and spoon the mixture onto one slice, then top with the second slice
Heat butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Once melted, fry the sandwich for 2-3 minutes per side, pressing lightly with a spatula, until golden and crispy
Remove from the pan, slice in half, and feel superior
Dealing with Leftovers
This isn’t really a make-ahead kind of thing, but you can refrigerate the egg mixture for up to 2 days, and then eat it over a sink with a spoon. No one will know.
Nutritional Value (per serving)
Calories: 480 kcal | Carbs: 32 g | Protein: 20 g | Fat: 30 g