I’ve Been Eating This 3-Ingredient Egg Salad Since College

I first discovered kimchi many years ago, in the pre-internet 1980s. I used to go to the small Asian grocery store in my little college town and just buy things to try. The friendly people who worked there didn't speak much English and did their best to communicate with me with gestures. The command for kimchi was, “Just eat.” I bought a jar.

I opened up the container of boldly fragrant, spicy cabbage at home and started eating. With no cultural context but lots of enthusiasm, I tried it in salads and sandwiches. I stirred it into cottage cheese and I nibbled it alongside my basic stir-fries. 

Eventually, I learned more about Korean food and this important staple, even getting a lesson in making quick homemade kimchi in the backyard with a Korean neighbor and learning how to make dishes like Kimchi-Jigae. 

Kimchi Makes Everything Better

It’s been fun to see kimchi become so popular in the last few years in the U.S. as part of the fermentation revolution. The magic of fermentation is that it makes a simple food like cabbage take on depth and funk, creating a concentrated condiment that transforms anything it touches. 

Kimchi has salt, heat, sour, and crunch, which can enhance almost any dish you can dream up. I still dip into jars of kimchi today to throw onto a bowl meal, grilled cheese sandwich, a peanut butter bagel, and my favorite: egg salad.

A few boiled eggs, mayo, and chopped kimchi make a delectably complex, slightly spicy egg salad, perfect in a sandwich or scooped up with lettuce or veggies. If you’re a kimchi novice, you can start with half the kimchi and work up to more. One of the reasons that I started making this salad was to buffer the hot, tangy kimchi with mild mayo and eggs.

How To Make My 3-Ingredient Kimchi Egg Salad

To make about 2 cups of egg salad (enough for about 3 sandwiches), you’ll need:

• 6 large eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup kimchi, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

In a medium bowl, mix together the chopped hard boiled eggs, kimchi, and mayonnaise. Serve in a sandwich, in lettuce cups, or scooped up with veggies. 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Tips for Shopping for Kimchi

• The first kimchi I encountered was fiery orange from chilies. Now that Americans have adopted kimchi more widely, you will see jars labeled mild or medium for people with varying levels of heat tolerance. 
• Look for kimchi in the refrigerated section at the grocery store. Like yogurt, it has live, beneficial bacteria in the mix, which are dormant while cold, although it’s not unusual for a jar to get a little bubbly. Always keep it in the fridge.