The Korean Ingredient That Gives Your Breakfast A Tangy Upgrade
Breakfast — it's the most important meal of the day! Although a quintessential American breakfast spread features provisions like bacon, eggs, and toast, morning meals look different across cultures. Take Korean breakfast, for example, which isn't complete without a heaping side of kimchi — the zippy upgrade worth integrating into your 8 a.m. spread.
Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made of lacto-fermented vegetables, most commonly napa cabbage and radish. Kimchi is similar to sauerkraut but typically flaunts more depth of flavor thanks to added ingredients like garlic, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, and gochugaru – Korean chili powder. Tangy and bright with a subtly sweet heat, kimchi also boasts a satisfying and satiating crunch, making it a well-rounded side dish teeming with flavor and a substantial mouthfeel. Its zippy flavor profile uplifts hearty, savory breakfast items like smoky bacon and turkey sausage, while its crisp texture complements tender ingredients like fluffy scrambled eggs or savory oats. Simply put, you can pair kimchi with just about any breakfast. Not only is kimchi a versatile and rich-tasting breakfast ingredient, but it's also a nutrient-dense probiotic powerhouse packed with digestive-enhancing, immune-boosting properties as well as essential vitamins and minerals.
Breakfast dishes to make with kimchi
If kimchi isn't a frequent flyer on your grocery list, you may not know how to pair it with a breakfast platter. Luckily, your options are anything but limited. Enjoy a proper Korean breakfast by serving kimchi alongside bugeo-guk — a dried pollock soup with tofu and bean sprouts. This cozy, comforting soup is dripping with a savory flavor that contrasts perfectly with the vibrant, zesty bravado of fresh kimchi. If you don't have the time to prepare soup in the morning, use kimchi as a crown for gyeran bap — a Korean egg and rice dish jazzed up with butter, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Just don't forget a side of milk bread. Of course, you can never go wrong by chopping up a heaping serving of kimchi and integrating it into a stack of savory scallion pancakes dunked in a spicy sriracha mayo.
Kimchi isn't just reserved for Korean dishes. Whether it's a potato-studded corned beef hash, the best breakfast that is British dippy eggs, broth-cooked oats with umami-blasted mushrooms, or a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, the bold and unbeatable taste of kimchi was tailor-made for breakfast. Dare we suggest turning kimchi into a jam and layering that atop a crusty slice of whole wheat bread, or using it as an unexpected upgrade for delicious pancakes? How you choose to incorporate kimchi into your breakfast is up to you, but be warned, once you try it, you'll have a hard time resisting it for lunch and dinner to boot.