Today, a new ingredient to whatfoodimade: kimchi. So what’s this kimchi stuff? (deja vu!)

Kimchi is a Korean side dish. Vegetables – most often napa cabbage – are spiced and fermented. You could make your own but as much as I’m a DIY-type, I cannot be bothered. There’s plenty of cheap and tasty kimchi available. I’ll spend my time doing something else like making my own ricotta. Yum.

All this month, I’ve been letting you know about all the eggs I’ve been eating. Usually not for breakfast but instead at any other time of the day, because I’m contrary like that. This recipe, though, would be a great way to kickstart a day. Especially if you’ve overindulged the night before.

Buy some kimchi.



Make sure you get kimchi that is 100% something.



Get a couple of eggs and beat them just enough that the yolks and whites are evenly distributed.



Measure the correct amount of kimchi.



Measure the correct amount of cheese.



Grating and chopping complete.



Pour the eggs into the heated frypan.



Add the cheese…



…and the kimchi.



Cook for 2-3 minutes (per the recipe, longer if you have a smaller frypan). Roll the omelette if you can, or fold it if you’d rather.



I found the recipe here:

https://food52.com/recipes/74612-crispy-kimchi-and-cheddar-omelette

(The comments under this recipe on the original site prove that I am not alone in thinking that a two-egg omelette, even one that’s filled with kimchi and cheese, will not feed 4 people.)

Crispy Kimchi and Cheddar Omelette

Serves 4

Author Notes: I first had the pleasure of experiencing Cheddar and kimchi at Milk Bar, where I worked for a spell. One of my coworkers, Helen Jo, would sometimes make little Cheddar and kimchi quesadillas for family meal, especially if we were extra busy that day; they need only three ingredients, each of which we always had on hand anyway. I’ll admit that at first, I was skeptical. My brain just could not imagine a world in which spicy, fermented kimchi would go well with sharp, creamy Cheddar cheese, but let me say that since then, I have seen that world and that world is wonderful.

Sometimes quesadillas are a little too much first thing in the morning, so I adapted them into little omelettes. But this is not a fancy, delicate, barely cooked French omelette; this is an improper omelette, an omelette gone rogue. Here the eggs are cooked over a higher flame than usual, so the outside browns while the interior stays delightfully runny. Shredded Cheddar cheese gets sprinkled on as soon as the eggs hit the skillet, and it melts and crisps up along with the eggs, giving you those cheesy, lacy bits and pieces. — Alison Roman

Ingredients

2 large eggs

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons shredded white or yellow Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup cabbage kimchi, squeezed mostly dry, coarsely chopped

Directions

Using a fork, beat the eggs in a small bowl until there are no visible bits of white or yolk (you’re just trying to get an even mixture, not incorporate a ton of air) and season them with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet, preferably carbon steel, nonstick, or well-seasoned cast iron, over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the eggs, swirling the pan to make sure they are forming an even layer. Immediately sprinkle the eggs with the cheese, followed by the kimchi. Let the eggs cook until the underside is browned and slightly puffed but the top is still rather runny, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using a spatula (preferably silicone if using a nonstick pan), lift the edge of the eggs all around the skillet to release them and, starting at one end, fold the omelette onto itself. You can either roll it like a classic omelette or, if that’s just not an option this morning, simply fold it into a half-moon.

NOTE: I prefer my omelettes with two eggs rather than three, which means they’ll have an almost crepe-like thinness, but if you like a bit more heft, or are especially hungry, you can certainly use three. I use a carbon-steel skillet to make my omelettes, but nonstick or even a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet will work as well.