Kimcheese Toastie

Kimcheese Toastie

This gut-healthy kimcheese toastie is the 10-minute lunch we keep coming back to. Kimchi brings live fermented cultures to every bite, and when it hits a hot pan with melted plant-based cheese it gets this incredible tangy, gooey thing going on. We pile in pickled jalapeños for heat and squeeze over fresh lime right at the end. Honestly, it sounds like chaos but it tastes like a toastie you'd queue for. Make it once and you'll be making it every week.

Cook: 10 min
Serves 1

Before You Start

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Large frying pan
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 1 heaped tbsp kimchi
  • 2 tbsp grated plant-based cheese
  • 1 tbsp plant-based butter
  • 4 jalapeños from a jar
  • 1 lime

Method

1

Make the sandwich

  • Butter 2 slices of sourdough bread and place them butter-side down onto a chopping board
  • Finely slice the jalapeños and kimchi
  • Spoon both into a big mixing bowl and add a squeeze of lime juice, the grated plant-based cheese and a pinch of salt
  • Mix well until everything comes together
2

Assemble the sandwich

  • Spoon the mixture into the middle of one slice of bread and top with the other, butter-side up
3

Cook the toastie

  • Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a knob of plant-based butter
  • Once melted, add the toastie to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, pushing down with a spatula to ensure it cooks through
  • Once the bottom turns golden brown, flip it over and repeat this process with the other side until golden all the way around and cooked through (for even better results, cook in a toastie machine if you have one)
4

Time to serve

  • Place the sourdough toastie onto a chopping board and slice in half before serving

Tips & Variations

  • Press it down: Use a heavy pan or a spatula to press the toastie firmly while it cooks. More contact means better colour and a properly melted middle.
  • Don't drain the kimchi too much: A little of that brine getting into the filling is a good thing. It keeps things juicy and adds flavour.
  • Lime at the end: Squeeze the lime on after cooking, not before. It keeps the brightness fresh rather than letting it cook off.

Why This Works

The kimchi does two jobs here. Raw, it's all funk and crunch, but once it toasts against the pan it goes a little caramelised and mellow, which plays beautifully against the sharp pickled jalapeños. Buttering the outside of the bread generously is the move that makes the difference between a good toastie and a great one.