[1] Fries with kimchi sour cream. The recipe is below (photo © Roy Choi | Idaho Potato Commission).

[3] You can serve a variety of fries with different dips (photo © Stonewall Kitchen | Facebook).

[3] Classic kimchi showing two different cuts (photo license CC-BY-SA-2.0 KR).

[4] Napa cabbage, the most commonly-used vegetable for kimchi (photo © MG Produce).

[5] Mother-In-Law’s excellent kimchi is available at grocers nationwide. Here’s a store locator (photo © Mother-In-Law’s).

November 22nd is Kimchi Day, a day dedicated to the Korean national dish that has been made for thousands of years. We’re featuring some fusion food to celebrate: French fries with kimchi sour cream. The recipe is below.

The South Korean government designated Kimchi Day to celebrate and promote the salted and fermented napa cabbage that is made in most Korean homes around this time of the year.

(Napa cabbage is the most commonly used vegetable, but other types of cabbage, plus carrots, cucumber, daikon radish, and scallion are also used. Garlic, ginger, and gochugaru (Korean chili sauce) are common seasonings.)

According to the Korean Herald, gimjang, the process of making large quantities of kimchi before winter, has long been a major annual event in Korean households.

Family members and/or neighbors gather to salt and drain the cabbage, make a spicy paste with hot chiles, mix it with the cabbage, and let it ferment.

Koreans used to store gimjang kimchi in large earthenware jars called jangdok, along with soy sauce and other condiments, on jangdokdae, an outside space near the kitchen, where they could be preserved and kept fresh. Today, homes have a special kimchi fridge (indoors!).

The recipe is from chef Roy Choi and sent to us from the Idaho Potato Commission.

There are additional kimchi recipes below, from kimchi hot dogs and tacos to wings and waffles.

> The history of potatoes.

> The history of French fries.

> The history of kimchi.

> The different types of potatoes: a glossary with photos.

 
 
RECIPE: BAKED FRIES WITH KIMCHI SOUR CREAM

This recipe is a nice blend of regular French fries and sweet potato fries.

You can purchase kimchi in many large supermarkets and in Asian groceries.

Use the kimchi sour cream as a dipping sauce or topping.
 
Ingredients For The Fries

 
Ingredients For The Kimchi Sour Cream

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F oven.

2. MAKE the sour cream sauce. Whisk together all ingredients. Set aside.

3. BAKE the whole sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes and the Idaho® potatoes for about 30 minutes. Cook just until they are slightly fork tender, but not totally soft. When they are cool, cut them into large wedges.

4. DREDGE the wedges in rice flour and deep them fry in oil at 330 °F for 3-5 minutes until slightly brown. Drain on paper towels and season with salt. Serve with kimchi sour cream.
 
 
MORE KIMCHI RECIPES

 
 
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*You can make rice flour simply by grinding rice in your food processor or spice mill. Here’s how. Rice flour is gluten-free, and can also be used as a thickening agent for soups and stews as well as tempura batters for frying vegetables, chicken, and more.