Vegetarian Kimchi Rice Burger

The Guardian recently wrote an article titled Crisis in Korea as younger generation abandons kimchi. It's certainly a shocking title, and I panicked internally that there would be no more kimchi anymore. To my relief though, the abandonment refers to the fact that today's generation of Koreans are (unknowingly or not?) consuming kimchi that is imported from China, rather than authentic local Korean-made kimchi.

Interestingly, the article claims that most Koreans are none the wiser that the kimchi they are being sold and served is often Chinese (due to it being cheaper). That's good news to me because, having never been to Korea and eaten kimchi made by a true Korean, there would be no way for my taste buds to know the difference, and I can happily buy kimchi sourced from anywhere without worrying about an unauthentic taste.

Of course, it is a shame that most exports of kimchi are not from the country of origin, because it is supposed to be the national dish. I can see why the 'traditionalists' are fighting hard to keep kimchi culture going in Korea, and not lose the market to the Chinese giants.

I went to my local Chinese (!) grocery store, and they only sell one brand of kimchi - Chongga. This is actually a product of Korea, and a bit of Googling research led me to understand that it is a massive South Korean company. 

Yay for supporting Korean kimchi! ;)

My usual kimchi-related dishes are kimchi fried rice, kimchi noodles and kimchi pancake. Which are all delicious, but I wanted to try something different.

Apparently there is a new food craze across the pond in New York [citation needed] involving ramen and burgers. While I haven't tried or seen that yet, I've met the rice burger. This was very popular in Hong Kong a few years back, I think due to a Japanese trend? It was even available in Hong Kong McDonald's!

Makiko Itoh at Just Bento and Sonia at Nasi Lemak Lover both show you how to make a rice burger, but recommend you use Japanese short grain rice. I don't have short grain rice at home, and it is relatively more expensive to buy it, so I've attempted (and succeeded!) to make it with Thai long grain Jasmine rice.

I think the key was to mild it while it was still warm, press it down gently but firmly - really pack it in! - and then to chill it afterwards.

I boost the amount of kimchi filling and give it a bit more substance, I fried some sliced onions and zucchinis with the kimchi. There's room for variation here, add whatever vegetables you've got at home instead - capsicum (or peppers if that's what you call them), carrots, potatoes, leeks...

Or even, for all you people out there who can't survived without meat, add some sliced beef / pork / chicken! It's a burger, fill it with whatever you want!

Just keep the kimchi. That's a must.

Oh, and a runny egg.

It is divine!

Do note though, it isn't the easiest thing to eat. I mean, even normal burgers create a mess, so this one's just the same. Or maybe messier. ;)

Enjoy! And lemme know what you think!

Full recipe-->

Warm Poached Egg Breakfast Salad

I like to pretend I'm somewhere hot and sunny with breakfasts like these. I associate fruit salad type breakfasts with summer mornings on the beach, so refreshing and so energetic!

It's so much better than toast. Or cereal. Or porridge.

Even a Full English.

I think I've just upset the entire 50 million or so population of England by saying that, I'm sorry! But I still have mixed feelings about the heavy meal that is a fry-up... I find that all the oil and meat doesn't always agree with me first thing in the morning!

Although I do appreciate something hot, even just warm, in the mornings. The best way to dethaw yourself after waking up to a cold room is to warm from the inside.

So I get the pan out and heat it up, standing right next to the stove to make maximum use of any escaped heat. First thing in the morning is not a good time to be doing dishes, so keep your equipment to a minimum by choosing a tallish pan that's not too wide.

Fill with boiling water from the kettle, (I like to stand near that too when it boils, and let some of the steam soothe my face - cooled steam of course, wouldn't want to burn myself!) and gently simmer it in the pan.

Poach the egg: Gently but swiftly draw circles around the pan with a wooden spoon to create a whirlpool at the middle. Crack in an egg right into the middle of the whirlpool and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 90 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon. This gets you a nice runny yolk.

It's just beginning to thicken, and looks like lava that's the colour of happiness.

Make two, because one's not enough. ;)

Leave them on a plate to rest and drain. Also drain your pan of the water, and wipe it dry.

Replace the dry pan onto the heat, and turn to medium. Now, we grill: Or pan-fry. (I need a griddle pan, so I can pretend to grill!) Add oil, let it heat up and drop in some cherry tomatoes to the sides. Then, slice up your halloumi cheese into thinnish chunks, and place those into the pan too, in the middle. Brown the cheese on one side, then flip to do the other. Keep an eye on your cherry tomatoes too, spinning them around so they heat up and blister. It's done when the halloumi is browned, the cherry tomatoes can be served at whatever stage they're in.

Dish it up: Line the bottom with some fresh baby spinach leaves, then layer on the halloumi and cherry tomatoes. Peel, slice, and add a few kiwifruit discs, and then finish with your two poached eggs on top!

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy your (mental) flight to a tropical island of your choice, with this warm poached egg breakfast with a salad of kiwifruit, cherry tomatoes, spinach and grilled halloumi cheese!