7 Reasons to Add Kimchi to Your Dishes (Plus a Recipe)

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made from lacto-fermented vegetables and spices, and it's packed with flavour. Here are seven reasons to add kimchi to your dishes, from its tangy taste to its versatility in the kitchen. Stick around until the end for one of our favourite kimchi recipes: crispy kimchi-tofu balls.

Why Add Kimchi to Your Dishes?

1. Kimchi adds a spicy, flavourful kick to any dish.

2. Fermentation gives kimchi a tangy, complex flavour full of umami that keeps developing as it matures in the jar.

3. Unpasteurised kimchi, like ours, contains live cultures. Fermented vegetables are part of many traditional diets, and research into them is ongoing.

4. It's made entirely from vegetables such as cabbage, garlic, ginger and chilli, so it's 100% plant-based and an easy way to eat more veg.

5. Kimchi brings variety to your meals: try it with rice, noodles, soups, pancakes or simply on toast.

6. It keeps well: an unopened jar of Ragi kimchi keeps for up to 2 years in the fridge, so there's always some on hand.

7. Kimchi is a great way to add a pop of colour to any plate.

Ready to try it? Here's one of our favourite dishes with kimchi:

Kimchi-Tofu Balls Recipe

Ingredients

• 500 g firm tofu

• 100 g kimchi, plus extra to garnish

• 1/4 cup (about 60 ml) dried hijiki seaweed (or 1/2 cup / about 120 ml of another dried seaweed)

• 1/2 cup (about 120 ml) fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

• 1/4 onion, thinly sliced

• 120 g potatoes, peeled and grated

• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar (an alcohol-free swap for mirin)

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Method

1. Rehydrate the seaweed, then drain it by squeezing it with your hands.

2. Blend the tofu until you get a paste.

3. In a bowl, mix the tofu paste with the rest of the ingredients.

4. Shape around 20 ping-pong-sized balls with your hands.*

5. To cook them, either fry them in a pan with hot oil for around 7 minutes or bake them in the oven at 190°C for 30 minutes.

6. Serve with kimchi on the side and a sauce of your choice. Eat straight away.**

* You can prepare the balls the day before and keep them in the fridge until cooking time.

** Eat any leftovers cold in a poke bowl with rice or quinoa and your favourite toppings.

Enjoy! Running low? A kimchi pack keeps your fridge stocked.

Find more recipes with kimchi on our blog.