Someone here in LA just told me that he tried a kimchee pizza somewhere in New York. Oh. My. Craziness!
Now, I am not a lover of Asian fusion cuisines, but growing up Korean in the Southwest and Midwest, I learned to eat kimchee with pretty much everything - with turkey on Thanksgiving, mixed into Dinty Moore beef stew, and with linguine alla Campbell's Soup. However, I have never ever once tried it as a topping on pizza.
It has now become my mission to find such stuff here in LA, because a preliminary search has turned up very little. At the very least, I will try to make it at home, but I want to try an authentic kimchee pizza first so I know what to aim for.
If you have tried it, seen it, heard of it, please, for the love of kimchee, provide some guidance before I order Papa John's and just throw some of my Mom's kimchee right out of the jar on there.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-01-2006 @ 12:39AM
Joshua Barratt said...
I haven't seen kimchee pizza, but I have seen a kimchee burrito.... "Spicy Galbi Kimchi Burrito" at my late-night UCLA favorite Jose Bernstein in Westwood Village. I'm not making it up, you can see it on their menu here.
Good luck on the quest...
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3-01-2006 @ 12:41AM
Joshua Barratt said...
It helps to read the rules. Menu link: http://www.campusfood.com/menu/items.asp?restid=3489&campusid=122&catid=42174
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3-01-2006 @ 12:46AM
Robyn said...
There used to be a restaurant in Pearl City, HI (about 15 years ago) that served Chinese Pizza. From what I recall, it had mozzarella and brocoli--no tomato sauce. It was awesome.
I would definitely try kim chee pizza. My husband and I had an idea for a kim chee reuben also--instead of the sauerkraut. I think 12th Ave. Grill in Honolulu has this.
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3-01-2006 @ 1:04AM
sarah said...
WHA?!?!
a kimchee burrito?!?! i have seen "bulgogi sandiwches" (when i was in school at cal), but not a burrito. that i new. and it's right here in west l.a. near me! that one i will have to give a try.
and robyn, i think using kimchee in place of sauerkraut in any food would be a VERY GOOD idea.
bratwurst and kimchee. incredible.
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3-01-2006 @ 2:33AM
bbqchickenrobot said...
Dude, My sister love kimchee pizza. She calls it kimchizza. werd
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3-01-2006 @ 2:35AM
bbqchickenrobot said...
Jose Bernsteins near UCLA in the westwood village has an excellent kimchee burrito...just excellent
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3-01-2006 @ 2:48AM
jeshi said...
Whenever I make pizza at home ( whether it's frozen when I'm lazy, or homemade when I'm feeling domestic ), I always throw kimchee on it. So good.
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3-01-2006 @ 10:11AM
Tony said...
When I was a little kid, 20 years ago (that's kinda depresseing), I remember this pizza place in Chicago that was owned by Korean folk. It was all a normal pizza menu but they would have this kimchee pizza that Korean people would order. I remember it being pretty good.
They put the kimchee underneath the cheese so that it would blend with the sauce.
In my opinion, I think it would be better on top so it can get a bit of caramelization and mingle with the greasy goodness from the cheese. And throw some pepperoni on because, as we all know, pork + kimchee = crazy delicious as well.
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3-01-2006 @ 11:23AM
Katie K said...
I love that kimchee + pizza = crazy delicious... much like mr. pibb + red vines = crazy delicious :)
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3-01-2006 @ 11:57AM
Filbert said...
I love kim-chi! The first time I bought my own, I forgot about it for a month in the fridge... took it out... and found it so tasty I sat in front of the TV and ate out of the jar with chopsticks. Who needs bulgogi or rice? Just gimme some nice rancid kim-chi! Yum!
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3-01-2006 @ 12:01PM
Filbert said...
I remember my first bottle of kim-chi; I forgot it in my fridge for a month... when I finally tried it, it was so tasty I sat in front of the TV and ate it straight out of the jar. I can just imagine putting some of that stuff on a pizza... mmmmm....
Sorry if this got posted twice... browser issues...
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3-01-2006 @ 1:28PM
emel said...
that sounds awsome. Instead of cheese, I put sauerkraut on my pizza now and dip in sriracha, it is probably very similar.
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3-01-2006 @ 1:33PM
emel said...
Just found this link too:
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/cns/2002-05-08/598.asp
""I tried it once; it wasn't right," Sala, said. "But I put the kimchi again with a secret seasoning."
What that secret ingredient is, he won't say. So successful is the formula, however, that four competitors in the neighborhood tried to copy it. He stayed mum, revealing only one tip to this reporter: don't just dump the kimchi on top, but layer and bake it twice, so that it slowly blends into the melting cheese."
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3-01-2006 @ 7:57PM
mpeng said...
I don't know if it's still there, but in Berkeley there's a place called Kim's Super Burrito near campus. And yes, they do serve kim chee burritos. They were at first strangely good--but the flavors are quite compatible with the other burrito components.
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4-18-2006 @ 6:52PM
Mike said...
The first time I saw kimchee pizza was in LA, in Koreatown, near Western Ave. Sorry - can't remember the name of the place, but it was a pizza house, owned by Koreans. There are a few pizza shops in Flushing, NY that serve it too. It's very good stuff :-)
After I tried kimchee pizza in LA, I began experimenting at home (the stuff I got in LA was just peperoni pizza with kimchee burried under the cheeze - but it was excellent).
What I do at home is:
1. make or get some pizza dough; put it in a pan
2. fry some sam gyup sol (sliced pork bellies)
3. slice up some garlic; nice thick slices
4. smear a little olive oil on the pizza crust
5. smear a good portion of kimchee juice on the crust
6. put a good layer of cut-up kimchee on the juice
7. layer the pork bellies and garlic over the kimchee
8. top with grated swiss cheese
Try it - You'll like it.
Mike
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