Kimchi Pierogi
This is the recipe that made me realise my two food worlds were always meant to collide.
Ingredients
For the Pierogi Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
For the Kimchi Filling
- 1 cup kimchi, drained and finely chopped
- 1 cup mashed potato about 2 medium potatoes
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 green onion, finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Gochujang Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Squeeze of lime
For Serving
- Butter for pan-frying
- Sliced green onions, sesame seeds, extra kimchi
Method
Make the Dough
- Mix flour and salt. Make a well. Add egg, warm water, and sour cream. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, then knead 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest 30 minutes. This is my babcia's pierogi dough — the sour cream makes it slightly tender and easier to roll. It's the same dough I use for every pierogi variant, from classic potato-cheese to these kimchi beauties. The dough doesn't know what's going inside it. It just does its job.
Make the Filling
- Drain the kimchi THOROUGHLY — squeeze it in a clean towel until no more liquid comes out. Wet kimchi = wet filling = pierogi that fall apart in the water. This is the same lesson from gyoza (dry the cabbage!) transferred to pierogi (dry the kimchi!). Mix the chopped kimchi with mashed potato, cheddar, green onion, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Taste the filling — it should be tangy from the kimchi, creamy from the potato, and savoury from the cheese. The sesame oil adds a subtle Asian note that bridges the two cuisines.
Assemble
- Roll the dough thin (about 2mm). Cut circles with a glass or cookie cutter. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre. Fold, press edges firmly, and crimp with a fork or pinch into the traditional pierogi pleat. My hands know this motion so well I can do it while having a conversation, watching TV, or mediating a sibling argument. Pierogi assembly is Polish muscle memory, and it serves me equally well whether the filling is babcia's potato-cheese or my kimchi invention.
Cook
- Boil in salted water for 3-4 minutes after they float. Drain. Then — and this is critical — pan-fry in butter over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crispy. The pan-fry step is what makes these transcendent. Boiled pierogi are good. Pan-fried pierogi are extraordinary. The butter creates a crispy, golden exterior that shatters against the soft, tangy filling.
Serve
- Mix the gochujang sour cream (sour cream + gochujang + sesame oil + lime). Plate the golden pierogi. Drizzle with gochujang sour cream. Top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Extra kimchi on the side. The visual alone — golden Polish dumplings with red Korean condiment, green onions, and white sesame seeds — tells the story of what Polish Mom is about.