The Ultimate Cheese Pairing To Bring Out Kimchi's Bold Flavors

Cheese is not necessarily the first ingredient you reach for when looking to pair something with your kimchi, but once you give kimchi mac and cheese a try, you'll instantly realize the two are perfect complements to one another. Ever since David Chang revealed that he adds 7UP to his kimchi brine, we've never questioned any other curious kimchi combos. Which is a good thing, because the kimchi-cheese pairing Matthew Rose, a partner of the Fairfield and Greenwich Cheese Company, recommended we try is not one we would've thought of in a million years. 

"Blue Cheese is definitely the best cheese pairing for kimchi," Rose suggests. "The briny and salty nature of blue cheeses with their green flavor profile of pine, juniper, and peppercorn make them best friends with fermented, spicy cabbage!" Although pairing one bold flavor with another seems counterintuitive, Rose assures adventurous eaters that the tangy, fruity cheese interacts beautifully with the crunchy spicy kimchi. What we have here is a classic culinary case of two strong flavor profiles combining together — not clashing — to create a delectable super snack.

It takes an adventurous palette to combine Korean fermented cabbage with moldy French cheese, but we believe in living life with open minds and even more open mouths. The most obvious way to give these two ingredients a try is by sprinkling a little bit of both on some toasted bread. We recommend either stuffing a spoonful of kimchi with half a spoon of blue cheese (or more to taste) into a pita for easy eating or using a thick slice of sourdough to soak up the juices from the kimchi with a little blue cheese sprinkled on top for garnish. If you're feeling like a ravenous wild child, try adding some sardines and a drizzle of honey to your kimchi-blue cheese sandwich. 

If you're looking to elevate your snacking experience even further, we highly recommend whipping up some kimchi butter to slather on a toasted baguette and then sprinkle with blue cheese. This will ensure that both ingredients shine without their textures competing with each other. For a more elaborate meal, try adding just a few sprinkles of blue cheese to these tofu and kimchi bibimbap-stuffed peppers. Regardless of which way you execute the kimchi-blue-cheese combo, your dish is sure to shine with the added sour, earthy, complex flavors.