Serves: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) shaped pasta (or GF option)
400 g (14 oz) Korean-style kimchi, drained (keep the juices)
350 g (12 oz) mozzarella ball, grated by hand
200 g (7 oz) sharp tasty cheese or cheddar, grated by hand
60 g (2 oz) bread crumbs (or GF option)
1 tsp Korean chilli powder
120 g (4 oz) unsalted butter
35 g - 70 g (1.25 oz - 2.5 oz) flour (GF option only needs 35 g)
800 ml (3 cups) whole milk
1/2 tsp white pepper
salt (to taste)
1 tbsp gochujang
200 ml (3/4 cup) kimchi juice
Let me tell you a little story about this Mac & KimCheese recipe (also known by its longer form: Kimchi Mac & Cheese). Once upon a time, little old me received an innocuous instagram reel, among many one day from a friend. That day was 5 January 2025. For FOUR months, I frothed over this recipe, thinking about it every single week, waiting until I had enough kimchi juice and mental stamina to recreate a new (to me) recipe. On 4 May 2025, I embarked on the culinary adventure to unite the two icons (cheese and kimchi, duh). For literally days, weeks, months, I again thought of this recipe--shouting it from the rooftops, waiting for more kimchi juice and the right amount of yearning to make it again with better photography lighting.
If any food could form a cult, this mac and cheese would be the most efficient. Forget flying spaghetti monsters and drinking the Koolaid (see what I did there), this Mac & KimCheese would take us all (except those allergic to dairy--sorry, my friends).
Alright, I'll ask that you kindly do not pick a fight for me on this one: please grate your cheeses by hand. Pre-shredded cheeses are covered with anti-caking agents which, when melted, create cheese that is very stringy and often affects the texture. So do us all a favour and spend a few minutes grating the cheese by hand (or machine).
Also, please use Korean-style kimchi--western health culture has entered the scene in kimchi making. While you're at it, use Korean chilli powder, only. It's far more flavourful and less potent than Australian generic chilli powder.
Enough blabbering. We all need to GET THIS IN OUR BELLIES. (Also sorry for waiting so long to share--I promise it wasn't to gate-keep).
Ingredients:
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) shaped pasta (or GF option)
400 g (14 oz) Korean-style kimchi, drained (keep the juices)
350 g (12 oz) mozzarella ball, grated by hand
200 g (7 oz) sharp tasty cheese or cheddar, grated by hand
60 g (2 oz) bread crumbs (or GF option)
1 tsp Korean chilli powder
120 g (4 oz) unsalted butter
35 g - 70 g (1.25 oz - 2.5 oz) flour (GF option only needs 35 g)
800 ml (3 cups) whole milk
1/2 tsp white pepper
salt (to taste)
1 tbsp gochujang
200 ml (3/4 cup) kimchi juice
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Cook pasta until al dente, drain, toss in the drained kimchi, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add 1/4 of both cheeses, breadcrumbs, and Korean chilli powder. Set aside.
3. In an oven-safe medium-to-large saucepan or cast iron pot, melt the butter over high heat.
4. Once the butter is melted, continuously whisk in the flour (35 g if GF or 70 g if plain flour) until light golden in colour (2-3 minutes).
5. Slowly and continuously whisk milk into the roux, until the roux thickens and is smooth.
6. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the white pepper, salt, gochujang, kimchi juice, and 3/4 remaining of both cheeses until the cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
7. Gently pour the pasta over the sauce and mix together until evenly coated.
8. Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over the top of the mac and cheese and bake until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling (30-35 minutes).
9. Serve fresh and enjoy the leftovers reheated.
Comments
Post a Comment