This is an absolute crowd-pleaser and pleasantly surprises even the most ardently kimchi-shy folks. Serve as a stand-and-snack option or as part of a larger meal.
Make the Everyday Korean's focaccia with fried kimchi
What's Korean fermented veg doing on classic Italian focaccia, you ask? Don't knock it until you've tried it. This buttery fried kimchi fusion is about to blow your mind
Makes 10
Preparation time 1hr45
Cooking time 40mins
Ingredients
- 550g all-purpose or bread flour
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp fast-acting yeast (or quick-rise or instant yeast)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 420ml warm water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp semolina flour or cornmeal
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 230g chopped cabbage kimchi (store-bought is fine)
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
Method
- Place the flour, salt, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Gradually add the warm water. Knead for 5 minutes on medium speed (usually between settings 4 and 6 on a mixer). The dough will be a bit wet. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. If the dough is refrigerated, let it come to room temperature before proceeding to the next step.
- Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a 9x12-inch baking sheet (or other oven-safe rectangular baking dish), and sprinkle evenly with the semolina.
- Scrape the dough onto the baking sheet. Spread the dough evenly in the pan, using your fingers to spread it into the corners. It is okay if it doesn't fill the baking sheet entirely. Let the dough rise again for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 220°c. Melt the butter in a medium- size pan over medium heat until just starting to brown and smell nutty, being careful not to let it burn. Sauté the kimchi until the edges start to brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- When the dough rises for the second time, sprinkle evenly with the reserved fried kimchi, green onions, sesame seeds, or other toppings of your choice, gently pressing the toppings into the dough. Using your thumb, press about 16 indentations evenly into the dough. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool just slightly before cutting and serve warm.
From Everyday Korean by Kim Sunée and Seung Hee Lee; photography by Leela Cyd. Published by The CountryMan Press.
