The Koreans certainly knew what they were doing when they created kimchi almost 3,000 years ago. A way to preserve vegetables, kimchi has evolved and there are now over a hundred different types. Different vegetables are used but the most popular ones are cabbage, cucumber, and radish. It’s in every meal served in Korea and likely the most popular Korean export known globally (besides BTS and K-dramas). 

Kimchi, at least the popular variety using napa cabbage with gochugaru (Korean chili powder), garlic, ginger and other spices, is something I have grown very fond of. (I even write about how it started my fermentation journey here.) I sometimes even challenge myself to eat it with every meal, every day: as a side dish to teriyaki tofu, tossed with a cold noodle salad (pictured below), mixed with a vegan sundubu jjigae or soft tofu stew, and even as a topping to a creamy avo toast. 

How we like to roll

When it comes to pairing kimchi with Filipino staples, our country’s roster of fried and grilled foods are likely the easiest to pair it with. But there’s something about taking a bite out of pritong lumpiang gulay and getting a kick of kimchi. The anghang and asim almost make us want to ditch the vinegar dipping sauce. 

We’ve tried other ferments in spring roll (burong mustasa) and it’s one of the easy ways to integrate ferment in your meal. If you like strong flavors, you can add a tablespoon or two more of kimchi. While it’s best to eat ferments raw, we don’t mind cooking them since we still get nutrients from the fermented veg.

Ingredients (yield: 4 to 6 lumpia)

• ½ cup vegan kimchi
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and minced
• 1 pc sayote (or singkamas or yacon), peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small block of extra firm tofu
• Lumpia wrapper
• Cooking oil

Directions

1. Gently squeeze vegan kimchi to remove the juice before chopping into smaller pieces.

2. In a pan over medium heat, add oil. When oil is hot, add onion and cook until translucent. 

3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Make sure not to burn the garlic.

4. Crumble the tofu and add to the hot pan. Cook until lightly browned. 

5. Add the sayote and carrot. Season lightly with salt, and sauté until the moisture has evaporated from the vegetables. 

6. Remove the pan from heat, and add the kimchi. Mix everything until well combined. 

7. Add 1 to 1.5 Tbsp of your filling to the lumpia wrapper and roll. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. 

8. Fill your nonstick pan with about an inch of oil and turn heat on medium-high.

9. Once oil is hot enough (don’t go past it’s smoking point), carefully add the spring rolls into the pan. Do not crowd them. Fry them for 3 to 4 minutes, flipping them halfway until they are golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the spring rolls. Serve hot.

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