Tomato Kimchi Recipe for Summer

Tomato Kimchi for the Summer! 🍅

Long time no see! I’m finally back from a long trip to Italy with my mom. ❤️ We had the most fun, amazing time in Italy, so glad I took the time to take her on her dream trip. I’m so grateful for my mom being healthy and energetic so we would travel together! 🙂  We went to Panzano, Firenze, and Roma, and it was SO HOT!! 🥵

Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of tomatoes until this Italy trip. I mean, I enjoy eating tomatoes, but it was just never my favorite fruit/vegetable. 🤷🏻‍♀️  We went to many restaurants in Italy, but plant-based menus were very limited. One of my favorite thing to order at restaurants is tomato bruschetta. Until I had tomatoes in Italy, I never knew how sweet and delicious a tomato could be. It was mind-blowing. This experience proved once again my food philosophy- If you don’t like something, you didn’t have it the right way. Now, I LOVE tomatoes. 🍅

BTW, did you know I published a cookbook?! 🥳 🥳 🥳

Get my cookbook Eat The Good Life!

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So many of you asked me daily based if I have a cookbook, and I finally have a solid answer to that question. YES! I DO!

You can purchase my cookbook Eat The Good Life by tap/click HERE!

When you purchase my cookbook Eat The Good Life, you automatically apply for a chance to win your copy to have my handwritten signed book! 🥳  Good luck, and have fun in your kitchen!

Alrighty, let’s go back to the tomato kimchi!

Luckily, it’s summer time which is tomato season. It’s very important to eat seasonal food to get the right nutrition our body needs each season. Tomato is packed with vitamin C and potassium, and they help protect our cells from damage. I will be sharing many different tomato recipes this summer with you, so I hope my recipes can help you eat more healthy and seasonal fruits and veggies! To start, nothing is more perfect than the Korean Tomato Kimchi recipe! Let’s get started!

Chop 5 cloves of garlic, 1 oz of ginger (you can grate on a cheese grater too), slice 1/2 onion, and cut chive into 1/2″ long.

You can use any chive you can find – Korean chive, garlic chive, or regular chive. If you can’t find a chive, you can use green onions instead.

I’m very proud to say that the chive is from my garden! 🙂 Hopefully, one day, I can grow tomatoes in my garden, too – for some reason, tomatoes don’t do great on my farm… 🥲  Wish me luck!

Now, we are going to add the seasonings for tomato kimchi. If you are not plant-based, you can use fish sauce. I like to use Yondu or plant-based fish sauce. My favorite brand of plant-based fish sauce is this Vietnamese brand, a pineapple-made one. It is the BEST! Today, I decided to use plant-based fish sauce. 🙂

Combine the garlic, onion, and chive in a large mixing bowl.  Add 4 tbsp plant-based fish sauce (or Yondu), gochugaru, raw sugar, and maesilaek in a large mixing bowl.

Maesilaek is Korean green plum extract, and it’s easy to find online or at your local Korean grocery store. It also can be substituted with apple juice, pear juice, or grated apple or pear.

There are two ways to make tomato kimchi. So it’s up to you how you make it. The first one is the “Sobaggi” style. It’s like cucumber kimchi (Oi Sobaggi), which gives 2 slits on a tomato like a cross with 1/2” attached on another end and fills it up with the kimchi sauce mix.  This is super cute and makes beautiful kimchi, but honestly, you need to use your hands or a knife to eat this style of tomato kimchi.

The one I usually make is sliced style because it’s easier to make & easier to eat too!

Slice each tomato into eight wedges and add to the bowl with the kimchi sauce mixture. Mix well with your hand or a spoon, and finally sprinkle with some sesame seeds. So easy, right?!Tomato kimchi can be served immediately or the next day. It will last a week in the refrigerator.

You can serve tomato kimchi as a side dish with any type of meal you prepare! Or make it a bit less salty to eat as a salad. 🙂 It will be great with ice-cold beer or soju! Enjoy!

Tomato Kimchi Recipe for Summer

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• Author: Seonkyoung Longest

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Description

This recipe is perfect for summertime! With all seasonal ingredients, you have a delicious summer on a plate.

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Ingredients

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• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 oz ginger, chopped
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• a handful chive, cut into 1” long*
• 4 plant-based fish sauce or Yondu
• 4 tbsp gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp raw sugar
• 2 tbsp maesilaek, Korean green plum extract*
• 5 to 6 large size firm tomatoes
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

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Instructions

1. Combine the garlic, onion, chive, plant-based fish sauce, gochugaru, raw sugar, and maesilaek in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Slice each tomato into eight wedges and add to the bowl. Mix well with your hand or a spoon, and finally sprinkle with sesame seeds. It can be served immediately or the next day. It will last a week in the refrigerator. 

Notes

*You can use any chive you can find – Korean chive, garlic chive, or regular chive. If you can’t find a chive, you can use green onions instead.

*Maesilaek can be substituted with apple juice, pear juice, or grated apple or pear.