Tomato Kimchi Recipe(토마토 김치)
Are you searching for a simple yet perfect kimchi recipe? Here is one for you, my mom’s tomato kimchi recipe.
Have you ever thought about yourself as a fruit or vegetable? I most certainly have.
This symptom alone might validate you as a foodie. As a matter of fact, I know I am a tomato. The tomato is a unique creature because it can be used either as a fruit or a vegetable. In Korea, tomatoes are traditionally viewed as fruits. Sliced tomatoes sprinkled with a bit of sugar on them is how I remember eating tomatoes when I was growing up. As versatile as the tomato is, it’s neither fruit or vegetable, but both at the same time. That pretty much sums up who I am. I was born and raised in Korea, but I have lived in the United States for more than a decade now. Here in the States, I am considered a legal alien, but whenever I visit Korea, my friends and family tell me that I am Americanized. Whatever I am called, I love the freedom of being who I truly am, the Gopher! If you feel like you don’t belong anywhere, don’t worry, my friend. Embrace your uniqueness, you’ll find your tribe!
Don’t forget to love the Mater~
Kimchi: Quick and Easy Kimchi Recipes for Weight Loss, Clear Skin, and a Healthier You
SIDE DISH PAIRING TIP: Korean Spicy Pork or BBQ of your choice
SERVES 2-3 as a side dish
Total: 10 minutes Active: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
5 tomatoes, medium size
2 cups chopped chives (If you can’t find chives, use green onion tops)
3 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes)
*adjust amount to fit your preference of spiciness
2 Tbsp. fish sauce or salt (fish sauce will add great umami)
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
Directions
1. To make the seasoning mixture: combine all the ingredients except the tomatoes in a medium mixing bowl. Mix gently to avoid bruising the chives. Set aside.
2. Slice the tomatoes into 4-8 pieces, about 3/4 of the way through. The bottoms must stay intact.
3. Stuff the tomatoes with the chive mixture.
4. Put the maters in a container. Let them sit at room temperature overnight, and then refrigerate.
*it keeps up to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can serve it right away. However, by fermenting overnight, it will develop a more complex flavor profile.
4. Serve and enjoy.
Gopher’s Tip:
Garlic chives are a common ingredient in Korean cooking. It is inexpensive at Asian grocery stores. However, it can be pricey and hard-to-find at none Asian grocery stores. Grow chives at home. I have been growing mine at my small balcony for years. It’s one of the easiest herbs to grow because bugs don’t like them. And it is very tasty. It you have leftover chives, try my Korean Chive Pancake recipe
Spiral zucchini? That sounds interesting. I shall give it a try. I think cooking is all about using what’s available where you live, so it’s good that you have been experimenting. When you have something great, email me at gopher@hungrygopher.com
Thank you so much for support. That’s really nice of you. I am on social media.
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Cheers,
HG
Thank you, Jack! You are my number one fan^^
I hope you enjoy the recipe.
james again where else can I find you besides you tube I am such a fan I would love to give all your recipies a big thumbs up!
you should try spiral cut zucchini it does not last over season (fall-spring) but makes a quick kimchi if you add it to left over sauce ( spices and such left over in kimchi pickle jar) it is quite good I think you should try it. I live in Atlanta ga. and my name is james, call me “ninja kimchi james” I take veggies that do not normally conform to Korean cooking and bend them to your ways..
how ever my recent experiment with broccoli did not work so well it became botcholised so I do not recommend broccoli, it was a trial of other veggies so where can I e-mail you directly for ideas?
This looks great! We can hardly wait for our maters (which we always love) to ripen.
I have a ton of green tomatoes and wanted to make kimchi with them. Do you recommend the same process or can green tomatoes be sliced?
Hi Megan,
Good question. This tomato kimchi recipe is utilizing ripe tomatoes. As you may already know, green tomatoes are very different creatures from the ripe ones. So it’s hard to say since I haven’t made kimchi with green tomatoes.
That said, here is my suggestion, based on my knowledge and experience.
If you are looking into finding a solution to preserve green tomatoes for a lengthy duration, I will treat them like a hardy vegetable, such as napa cabbage.
Follow the structure of Simple Kimchi Recipe,
https://hungrygopher.com/simple-kimchi-cut-up-kimchi-%EB%A7%89%EA%B9%80%EC%B9%98/
You’ll have to have to experiment with salting time for the tomatoes to get an optimal texture you want.
I hope this is helpful.
Cheers,
HG
Thank you!
I have a batch fermenting away as I type that contains tomatoes, onions, leeks, poblano peppers, garlic, cilantro, Thai chiles. I needed to use up some items in the fridge and they were perfect for kimchi! I love lacto-fermenting veggies! It’s so easy…I never measure anything and it always comes out perfect! Also have some baby anchovies fermenting with cooked rice (myeolchijeot.) Not for the squeamish but so tasty and pungent. Perfect with hot rice and kimchi or add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice.
Thanks so much for all your posts! Great for inspiration!
Hi Chieko,
Thanks for sharing! As I was reading your comment, I drooled a little. That sounds amazing! You must a be very experienced fermentor to make myeolchijoet.
I love that you don’t measure anything. That’s how Koreans cook. I’ve never seen my mother nor my grandmother measuring anything when they cook or make kimchi =)
So right on, Chieko!
Cheers,
Sun