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Pasta and Noodles

Pasta and Noodles

Kimchi Mac & Cheese. That’s Right–I Said Kimchi.

So, Instagram is one of my “go-to” sources for inspiration.  [You should totally follow me on IG btw in case you aren’t!!]  You know–when you have one of those days where you’re at work and you’re like, “wait what should I cook tonight??” and you spend literally 4 hours debating the pros and cons of the litany of recipes you have in your head and just feel totally insipidly uninspired??  Yeah.  That happens to me like every other day.  So, I head over to Instagram and scroll through my feed until I see something that gongs the proverbial “light bulb.”

Last week, it was Mac & Cheese.

Wait, what?  Mac & Cheese?  How is that possible for the dairy free contingency?

It’s more than impossible.  I think it’s BETTER.  You get all the ooey gooey cheesiness of the traditional M&C, but none of the guilt.  No butter, no milk.

Now…how to give it that extra “somethin’ somethin'”….?

KIMCHI.

You see, the key to a good vegan cheese sauce is that umami flavor.  What the fuck is “umami”?

People taste umami through receptors specific to glutamate. Glutamate is widely present in savory foods, such as meat broths and fermented products, and commonly added to some foods in the form of monosodium glutamate (MSG). Since umami has its own receptors rather than arising out of a combination of the traditionally recognized taste receptors, scientists now consider umami to be a distinct taste.

—Wikipedia.

Umami is incorporated through things like nutritional yeast, onions, garlic, garlic powder, but the real seal for a vegan cheese sauce is a pickling solution.

Did someone say “pickle”?

Koreans pickle better than anyone.

So, that is how the Kimchi cheese sauce was derived (riffing off of Master Kenji’s cheese sauce).  And what better way to celebrate its creation than to mix it with a shit ton of pasta?  

And then add more kimchi on top?  

With more cheese on top???


Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Recipe Difficulty: Easy
Servings Amount: 2

Recipe Lead: Keep your pants on and pour yourself a tall glass of water.

Ingredients

Kimchi Cheese Sauce

  • 5 tbsp vegetable shortening (or oil)
  • 1 small onion (chopped)
  • 1/2 russet potato (thinly sliced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 jalapeno (sliced)
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
  • 1 tbsp gochujang
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp Korean chili powder (or paprika)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup cashews (soaked in water for 4 hours to overnight)
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp lactic acid (or lemon juice)
  • 1 tsp pickled jalapeno juice
  • 2 tsp kimchi juice

Pasta

  • 1 box brown rice pasta

Toppings

  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tbsp + 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp agave
  • 1/2 tbsp gochujang
  • 1/2 cup kimchi (ripened)
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  1. In a small pot, melt vegetable shortening and add onions and garlic.  Cook until softened.  Then add potatoes, jalapeño, chipotle, gochujang and seasoning.  Stir until potatoes start to soften and all vegetables are evenly coated.
  2. Deglaze the bottom of the pot with water and bring to boil.  Cook until potatoes are tender.
  3. Empty contents of pot into high powered blender.  Add remaining ingredients and blend on high for a few minutes, until creamy and smooth.
  4. Cook pasta until al dente.  Reserve ~1/4 cup of pasta water before draining.  In the same pot that you cooked the pasta with, add pasta and cheese sauce, as well as a little pasta water in case sauce gets too dry.  Scoop pasta into oven safe container (I used two cast iron pans).
  5. For breadcrumb topping, mix breadcrumbs, salt, and 1/2 tbsp sesame oil until breadcrumbs are nicely coated.  Sprinkle over the top of the pasta.
  6. Place in 450° oven until breadcrumbs are golden brown (15-20 minutes).
  7. In the meantime, heat up 1 tbsp of sesame oil in a small skillet.  Add kimchi, gochujang, and agave and saute until kimchi is caramelized.
  8. Add caramelized kimchi to baked pasta.  Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Kimchi Mac & Cheese. That’s Right–I Said Kimchi. was last modified: July 23rd, 2017 by the.krn.vegan@gmail.com
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Pasta and NoodlesTraditional Korean Recipes

Kimchi Jar Ramen Noodles

Recipe Video
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Recipe Difficulty: Very Easy
Servings Amount: 1

Recipe Lead: When you want to feel slightly less guilty about eating ramen noodles, use your own ingredients.

Ingredients
  • 1 empty kimchi jar (or any mason jar)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 cup chopped cashews (optional)
  • 1 packet miso soup mix
  • 1/4 cup extra firm tofu (cubed)
  • 1/8 cup onions (sliced)
  • 1/8 cup snow peas (chopped)
  • 1/8 cup broccoli (chopped)
  • 1/2 tbsp fresh jalapeno
  • 1/8 cup canned corn
  • 1/8 cup carrot
  • 1/2 packet ramen noodles
  • 1/4 cup kimchi + juice
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  1.  Add soy sauce, gochujang, nuts, and spices into jar.
  2.  Add miso soup powder.
  3.  Layer in tofu and veggies.
  4.  Next add noodles.
  5.  Final layer is the kimchi–preferably old kimchi.
  6.  Add boiling water, almost to the top of the jar.
  7.  Put the lid on jar and let the jar sit for ~ 2 minutes.  Shake.
  8.  Eat right out of the jar or pour into bowl.  Serve with kimchi.
Kimchi Jar Ramen Noodles was last modified: June 4th, 2017 by the.krn.vegan@gmail.com
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I have been debating sharing this story for a very I have been debating sharing this story for a very long time. Partly because it remains one of my unhappiest memories, but also because I don’t want to make my ex-husband out to be a villain—he was a good man who just had trouble dealing with his emotions. But the moment I recount in this sharing is one of the most powerful, pivotal moments of my life, which is why it remains so vivid and painful.  I thought about whether I should share it this morning while walking Rudy and as we turned the corner into the driveway of our building and Rudy began snuffling along the brick facade, I concluded that there are too many of you—whether you are a woman or not—who need to hear this story.  It wasn’t just about needing to exit my situation, it was also the struggle of believing I was a fraud. I remember the following day, I wrote down in my journal, “I am a sham.  Just like the sham corporations I deal with at work.” I hated the fact that I faced the world as a lawyer, but inside my home, I was so weak. I have always said that more than anything in the world, I want to be a “strong woman,” and for 18 years, I felt I was only pretending to be one. I now realize that “strength” is not something that can be measured by some standard you read about or see on the Lifetime Channel.  Whether and when I decided to stop protecting my marriage and start protecting myself is not up for judgment. Each person has their own unique reckoning, but perhaps as that man on the bike did for me, I can help you see that you are worth the reckoning.
Hi everyone! As many of you know, I have been work Hi everyone! As many of you know, I have been working very hard the past two years on something many of you have asked me for: a cookbook!! Containing lots of new recipes and stories. Well, we are getting so close to that finish line, and I wanted to share with you one major mile-marker along that way: the COVER!! Actually, I’m sharing with you three POTENTIAL covers. Because, these are all so good, I just can’t make up my mind. Who better to ask than all of YOU!  Now, to make this a little fun:
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▪️Comment below with your vote (1, 2, or 3)
▪️The final cover will be revealed in a subsequent post
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▪️20 of you who voted for the final cover will receive a free, signed copy of my book!!
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Thank you again to the TKV Community for all your support, generosity, and friendship.  This book would not exist without you and I’m so excited to see it come to life with you all!
Another day, another budae chigae. I will post the Another day, another budae chigae. I will post the recipe for this one on my blog. I came up with the spice blend after too many ppl gave me crap about using the spice packet that comes with “a 99 cent instant ramen.”
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