Oil-Free Kimchi Fries

Yes, these are Kimchi Fries - and oh - my - where have you been all my life!

If you're from the Austin, TX area - you KNOW they're a thing! Thankfully now I can make these at home anytime I want which I guarantee - will be a LOT!

This inspiration for this recipe came after I heard the story of entrepreneur Jae Kim and his now-famous restaurant chain, Chi'Lantros.

He was so desperate to make his food truck successful, and hated the idea of throwing out so much food every day - he threw it all into one basket instead - fries, Korean BBQ beef, kimchi, whatever he had - and put it on the menu.

His loaded Kimchi Fries are now famous, landing him a $600k win on Shark Tank, and a whole fleet of food trucks and 7 Chi'Lantros restaurants throughout Austin.

I never thought to combine french fries with kimchi!

I mean it sounds kind of odd - right? But I LOVE Kimchi so much - I actually made it myself - and it was AWESOME! Recipe here.

And then I found Joanne Molinaro, aka The Korean Vegan. She puts her own spin on the recipe in this video here, and I thought, "Man, that looks SO good!. Hey, wait! I have a cheese sauce! I have some Korean Chile Flakes! I can DO this!"

And the rest - as they say - is history. So thank you, Jae & Joanne, for the inspiration, and here is MY version of the infamous Kimchi Fries - and completely oil-free.

Oil-Free Kimchi Fries

This is really an easy recipe - promise - but you will need a few things that may be a little hard to find. Check your area for Asian Markets - that will be your best bet, especially Korean Markets. Or check Whole Foods if you have one locally.

• Kimchi - most stores have it now but watch the ingredients to make sure there's no fish products or oil. The brand you see in the photo is 100% vegan and oil-free and I found it at Kroger (Fred Meyer).
• Gochugaru - These are Korean Chile Flakes and no, no other chile powder wil work. But if you can only find the paste version - Gochujang..... go with that.
• Gochujang - is a paste made from Gochugaru. It comes in a tub, like miso. Make sure you are not buying the sauce - but the PASTE. The sauce will be thinner and have extra ingredients you don't want.
• Amazon links to follow - and as an affiliate I do earn a little but at no extra cost to you.

The first step is to make my cheese sauce.

This is my original recipe with a few modifications. I used less carrot since the Kimchi and Chile Paste will add their own color. And of course, I added some Korean spice in the form of kimchi, gochujang, and 1 Tbs of gochugaru. As I said earlier, if you skip any ingredient - skip the flakes but do try to get the paste.

I used my Instant Pot to cook the potatoes and carrot for the cheese sauce - 7 min on manual with a 10 min natural release. Then it all goes into a blender and is blended until smooth and creamy.

If you already have some of my cheese sauce in the freezer - try adding a bit of kimchi, and some chile paste to it and reblending it.

Next, I made the Kimchi Topping.

Into a skillet I added the chopped onion, the white parts of the scallions, and the garlic along with 2-3 Tbs of veggie broth. When they have softened, add the remaining ingredients and simmer until it thickens and caramelizes.

Finally, I made the fries.

I used Yukon Golds as they seem to hold together better after boiling than russets do. But, use what you got. I cut them into ½" or so strips and tossed them into a pot of cold water that I added a few teaspoons of salt. When it comes to a boil, set the timer for 10 min then carefully drain.

I then placed the (hot) fries onto my air fryer basket. I don't use oil or parchment paper in my air fryer but you do what works best for you. Set it to 450° F for about 10-12 min, flipping or shaking occasionally.

If you want to bake them instead: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake at 450° F for about 10-15 min or until browned. Check and flip frequently.

To plate:

I piled my now crispy fries on a plate, covered them with some of that spicy cheese sauce, followed by that Kimchi topping, then more cheese sauce.

To garnish I used those green onion tops, sesame seeds, diced white onion, cilantro, and a few shakes of sriracha.

There are enough fries and kimchi for 2 servings....but you will have extra cheese sauce. No worries - it can go on veggies, bakes potatoes, rice, whatever you want. It won't go to waste and yes, it does freeze well too.

That's it for this week and I know all you kimchi lovers will devour this. If you haven't tried Kimchi - it's basically just fermented napa cabbage, kind of like sauerkraut, with a kick. The probiotics in kimchi are really good for you and I for one, love the flavor. Hopefully, you will too.

See you soon and be sure to tell me what you think in the comments.

Seeya!

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