Kimchi quesadilla and raspberry soju cocktail

Originating from the streets of Korea’s most popular restaurant district in Gangnam, this fusion of Korean–American food is both playful and creative. Kimchi is used in this recipe, however other fillings could include bulgogi, chilli chicken, or pork and tofu. The cocktail blends raspberries and Korea’s soju – a sake-like spirit – to great effect.

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 8 tortillas (16 cm diameter)
• ½–¾ cup coarsely shredded cheese, such as mozzarella
• 1 cup kimchi (see Note), finely chopped 
• ¼ cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
• lemon or lime wedges, to serve
• sour cream, to serve

Raspberry soju cocktail

• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, defrosted,  plus extra to serve
• 500 ml (2 cups) soju
• ¼ cup raspberry liqueur
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 500 ml (2 cups) store-bought lemonade
• 500 ml (2 cups) tonic water

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Instructions

To make the quesadillas, place a medium frying pan over medium–low heat. Place a tortilla in the frying pan and scatter with 2 tbsp cheese, then top with 2 tbsp kimchi and some coriander. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the cheese begins to melt, then press a second tortilla on top. Flip over and cook for a further 1–2 minutes until the tortilla is warmed through and the cheese has melted. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have four quesadillas. Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve with lemon or lime wedges and sour cream.

To make the raspberry soju cocktail, blend raspberries until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve (discard seeds). Combine the raspberry purée with soju, raspberry liqueur and lemon juice and stir well to combine. Fill 6 tall glasses with ice, then divide the raspberry mixture between the glasses. Top with equal amounts of lemonade and tonic water and garnish with a few raspberries.

Note

• Kimchi is spicy, fermented cabbage and is available at Korean and other Asian grocery stores.

Photography by Alan Benson

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.