Kimchi Deviled Eggs with Pickled Radish

Kimchi Deviled Eggs with Pickled Radish
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The season of potlucks is upon us. Okay, I guess potlucks don’t really have a season. But I do feel like more potlucks happen during the summer months than at any other time of the year. I suppose you could argue the holiday season is more potluck-heavy. But I think sit-down dinners still rule the roost in December. But in the summer picnics are plentiful, BBQs are rampant, and no one wants to work that hard because sunshine and beer exist. So potlucks it is. You open your backyard and your friends roll in with far too many salads. But you can defy the salad trope and arrive with these Kimchi Deviled Eggs instead. It’ll blow minds.

Eggs ready to be cooked

Why do people always arrive at a potluck with a salad? Is it because salads are easy to make? Or is it because a salad can be literally anything in a bowl? I’m thinking it’s a combination of the two. Think about it, potato, pasta, and green salads are all patio season staples. While it might seem like overkill to bring a salad, chances are good you’re bringing a different salad than Thelma or Merv. Both of those people are fictional, I just think those names should be seen more often. But still, there are many other courses to cover and a lot of that labor falls on the host.

Peeling the hard boiled eggs

While I hear many people declare that they are just “here for the sides”, I feel confident that if those same people arrived at a BBQ without a brisket or some sort of dessert, they would struggle to hide their disappointment. The same goes for a quality starter or finger food. All too often the only finger food you’re liable to find at a potluck is a sad cubed cheese platter someone found abandoned in the prepared food section of the grocery store.

Pickling the eggs in kimchi juice

When it comes to potlucks, finger food is key. Have you ever tried to jab at a caesar salad while using your lap as a table? Now try that while standing up? You’ve just imagined what I look like at 90% of the potlucks I’ve been to. An unstable flamingo, attempting to use all elevated quad to hold her plate steady while she threads the last of her macaroni salad onto her disposable fork. You know doesn’t do that to me? Finger food. With finger food, I can get away with a small serviette as I make the rounds, and use my shrimp puff or deviled egg as a prop while I tell an awkward, mildly humorous joke. What’s more freeing than that?

Pickled eggs fresh from the kimchi and radish brine

Now, I may be biased but I think these Kimchi Deviled Eggs with Pickled Radish are just what your potluck game is missing. Are they easy to prepare? Yes. Are they delicious? Yes. Is anyone else going to bring them? It’s highly unlikely. This blog isn’t that popular. Basically, these eggs are a potluck unicorn and they have the whimsical looks to prove it. So let’s talk about how to make them.

The yolk mixture ready to be mixed

This all starts with hard-boiling some eggs. I’ve outlined my preferred method for making hard-boiled eggs and it’s lengthy. I know that’s a weird thing to say about 10-minute eggs but it’s true. I’m trying to write a specific wrong. People always say to let your eggs hang out in an ice bath for 10 minutes prior to peeling them. And I’ve got to tell you, I think you should leave them for a good 20-30 minutes. I find I get fewer notches and tears when I peel my eggs after a solid soak in ice water.

Piping the yolk mixture into the cooked egg whites

Once your eggs are peeled and pristine, it’s time to tackle the next time-consuming portion of this recipe. But don’t worry, you literally have to do nothing for the majority of it. But first, I’m going to ask you to do something that is admittedly a little strange. I’m going to ask you to wring a jar of kimchi out. Just positively squeeze it until you have at least a cup of kimchi juice to your name. If you think you can get more out of your kimchi, go for broke. The more kimchi juice the merrier.

Kimchi Deviled Eggs with Pickled Radish

Place your eggs in a container just big enough to accommodate them. We don’t want a giant container. We want the eggs to be as fully immersed in the kimchi juice as possible and that’s hard to do when you’re trying to fill a large container. Top the kimchi juice up with rice vinegar so the eggs are fully immersed. Shave in 2 radishes worth of medallions into the container and give them a quick toss to ensure they are evenly dispersed. Now for the lazy part, pop a lid on the container and transfer it to the fridge. Let the eggs pickle for 24-48 hours. And at the end of it, you will have tie-dyed eggs with splashes of pink and soft orange. And this will impress people and you will know you did next to nothing to make them look that way.

Kimchi Deviled Eggs with Pickled Radish

Once the eggs are pickled, you’re looking at a basic deviled egg assembly line. Simply split the eggs in half and remove the yolks. Mix the yolks with mayo, gochugaru, and of course, minced kimchi. Pipe the yolk mixture back into the egg whites and decorate them to your heart’s content. You can also just shove these Kimchi Deviled Eggs directly into your face and forget about fussing with sage blossoms. Always a valid lifestyle choice.

So that’s everything you need to know about these Kimchi Deviled Eggs with Pickled Radish. These are sure to make more of an impact at your next gathering than any pasta salad ever could. Truly the stuff of potluck legends.

Enjoy!

Kimchi Deviled Eggs with Pickled Radish

Kimchi Deviled Eggs with Pickled Radish

These Kimchi Deviled Eggs feature eggs pickled in kimchi juice sliced and stuffed with their own yolks mixed with kimchi, mayo, and gochugaru. The eggs are then garnished with pickled radish, cucumber, and sage leaves and blossoms.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Pickling Time 1 day
Course Appetizer, Snack
Servings 12 eggs

Equipment

  • 1 mandolin optional

Ingredients
  

  • 6 large eggs fridge cold
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 (500ml, 17 fl oz) jar kimchi
  • ½ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 large radishes ** sliced thin on a mandolin
  • 2 tbsp mayo
  • 1 tsp gochugaru
  • 1 mini cucumber thinly sliced on a mandolin
  • sage leaves and blossoms to garnish, optional

Instructions
 

  • Bring a small saucepan of water up to a boil. Add the baking soda and reduce the heat to medium-low. Using a spoon, lower the eggs into the water one at a time. Cook for 10 minutes.
    6 large eggs, ½ tsp baking soda
  • Once the 10 minutes are up, transfer the eggs to an ice bath. Let the eggs sit for 20-30 minutes. Peel the eggs and set them aside.
  • Pour the entire jar of kimchi into a fine mesh strainer. Using a muddler and/or your hands, force as much liquid out of the kimchi as possible. Aim for about a cup but try to get more if possible. Return the kimchi to the jar and set the juice aside.
    1 (500ml, 17 fl oz) jar kimchi
  • Place the eggs in a resealable container just big enough to fit them in a single layer. Pour the kimchi juice on top of the eggs and add the vinegar. The eggs should be fully immersed but if they are not, add more vinegar.
    ½ cup rice wine vinegar
  • Add the radish to the container and give everything a quick toss to ensure the radish is evenly dispersed. Cover and transfer the container to the fridge and let pickle for 24 hours.
    2 large radishes **
  • Once the eggs are pickled, take them and the radishes out of the brine and set them aside. Pat the eggs dry with a paper towel and slice them in half.
  • Take a ⅓ cup of the kimchi and finely chop it. Place it in a medium-sized bowl and add the mayo and gochugaru. Remove the yolks from the eggs and add them to the bowl as well. Mash everything together using a fork until you have a smooth cohesive mixture.
    2 tbsp mayo, 1 tsp gochugaru
  • Arrange the cooked egg whites on a platter. Transfer the yolk mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe the yolk mixture into the whites. Garnish the eggs with the pickled radish, cucumber slices, sage leaves, and blossoms. Either serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
    1 mini cucumber, sage leaves and blossoms

Notes

** If you don’t have a mandolin, you can use a sharp chef’s knife.
Keyword eggs, kimchi, mayo, radish

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