Crisp And Spicy Kimchi Fritters Recipe

Kimchi is a Korean side dish or condiment made of fermented vegetables. While it can be made of just about any kind of vegetable, the classic kimchi we're most familiar with in the U.S. (and the kind called for in this recipe) is called baechu kimchi and is made with napa cabbage. In recent years kimchi has been embraced as a superfood, leading to a surge in popularity, and developer Leah Maroney tells us, "I started eating kimchi regularly for the probiotic benefits from the fermentation." She says she now loves the stuff, and as she's also a fritter fan, she decided to put the two together.

The fritters fry up extra crispy thanks to a combination of rice flour and cornstarch in the batter, and as a bonus, they're also gluten-free. The gochugaru, a kind of Korean red pepper, adds some spicy heat and a little smokiness to the fritters, and the soy sauce lends them a satisfying umami note to balance the salty acidity of the kimchi. Gochujang, a thick spicy sauce with a hint of sweetness, combines with kewpie mayo to make the perfect dipping sauce.

These kimchi fritters with gochujang sauce would make the perfect addition to an appetizer buffet with their delicious Korean-inspired flavors. If you don't want to deep fry them, you can also use the batter to make kimchi pancakes which could be used to roll up a filling of bulgogi meatballs or Korean fried chicken.

These fritters are made from kimchi, scallions, rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and eggs and flavored with garlic, soy sauce, and gochugaru. They're fried in vegetable oil and served with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and a dip made from Kewpie mayonnaise and gochujang.

Roughly chop the prepared kimchi until the pieces are fairly uniform and small in size.

Strain the kimchi, collect the liquid in a bowl underneath, and reserve it for later.

Chop two scallions, both the whites and greens.

For the fritter batter, whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, gochugaru, soy sauce, eggs, and one clove of minced garlic in a large bowl.

Add in the strained kimchi and chopped scallions (reserve a few for garnish), stir to combine, and set aside.

For the gochujang mayo, whisk together the remaining garlic clove, mayo, gochujang, and 1 tablespoon of the reserved kimchi liquid in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot until it reaches 325 F.

Add the fritter batter in large dollops to the hot oil. Fry about 5 at a time. Flip them after about 4 minutes, or when they have browned. Fry for another 4-5 minutes on the other side or until completely browned.

Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve with the gochujang mayo and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Two of the ingredients called for in this recipe are the "gochus": gochugaru, which is a spicy, smoky Korean red pepper powder, and gochujang, a fermented paste made from chiles, rice, fermented soybeans, and barley malt. While you're never going to be able to duplicate the flavor of either with a substitute, you could swap the former out with crushed red pepper, cayenne, chili powder, or paprika, or a combination of them, and the latter with sriracha or chili garlic sauce.

If you have access to other kinds of kimchi such as cucumber (oi sobagi) or radish (kkakdugi), you can use these in place of the cabbage kimchi, or you could make the fritters with another fermented, pickled vegetable such as sauerkraut. If you're not looking to replace the kimchi but supplement it, grated carrot, minced onion, or shredded daikon would all make fine additions. You could even add some chopped Spam or hot dogs, turning the dish into a fritter version of the famous Korean-U.S. Army commissary mashup known as budae jjigae.

While frittering your time away is generally seen as a bad thing, using that time to make fritters is a very worthwhile way to spend it. To make sure your fritters fry up delightfully crispy, you need to make sure the batter's not too wet. That's why the kimchi needs to be well-drained. Maroney tells us, "For successful frittering, you must drain the kimchi. If it's too wet, you cannot get a nice golden crust." This isn't a great make-ahead recipe — you should make the batter immediately before you're going to fry the fritters. Don't let the batter sit in the fridge, since this will allow the vegetables to absorb too much moisture.

To give the fritters added golden color and crunch, you can sprinkle them with flour before you fry them. Either rice or all-purpose flour will work for this purpose, and you can also use all-purpose flour in the fritter batter if you don't have the rice variety. Don't leave the cornstarch out, though! Cornstarch is the secret ingredient that makes these fritters extra crispy.