Kimchi Fried Rice
Kimchi Fried Rice is as common in Korea as Chinese fried rice is in China. Every household makes it, and it’s a thrifty comfort dish that makes use of leftover cooked rice and kimchi from the fridge. Extra ingredients on hand are often added to keep things interesting. This fiery-red Korean rice dish is more bark than bite! While it is full-flavoured, it is not nearly as blow-your-head-off-spicy as one might expect. Though having said that, if spicy is your thing, it’s very simple to dial up the spicy factor until you go cross-eyed! So what does Kimchi Fried Rice taste like? Well … Kimchi. 🙂 But more! The sauce for Kimchi Fried Rice is made with a combination of the juices from a jar of kimchi, plus gochujang, the Korean soy bean chilli paste commonly used in Korean cooking. If you love fried rice, this is absolutely one for you to try. It’s one of the more intensely flavoured fried rice dishes, which is right up my alley. I am all for kapow flavours!
What goes in Kimchi Fried Rice
Here’s what you need to make Kimchi Fried Rice:
Kimchi – Kimchi is pickled and fermented cabbage, often spicy. It’s pretty widely availably these days even in everyday grocery stores, especially with the whole fermentation trend amongst the healthy food crowd. Fashion aside, skip the boho-hipster kimchi brands and stick to a tried-and-true Korean one! Not all kimchi is created equal, so if you can get to an Asian store, even better. Typically the kimchi will be fresher, with better flavour. I am using Paldo brand in this recipe.
Rice – Use day-old cooked rice that’s been refrigerated. Or better yet, have you got a stash in the freezer? If not, WHY NOT?? Rice freezes perfectly and it’s a handy to have a stash ready to go. It’s an Asian thing. 😇Struggling with how to cook rice? Here’s how I make it. A game-changer for anyone who has struggled to cook rice on the stove!Type of rice – Any plain white rice works well for the most neutral flavour base, whether long, medium or short grain. Jasmine, basmati, brown and other rices with more flavour will also work just fine but will add their own distinct flavour to the dish.Enoki mushrooms – While you’ll find every Korean household has their own standard inclusions for Kimchi Fried Rice (I’ve even heard of Spam ham being a regular!), enoki mushrooms is a fairly popular choice you often see at Korean restaurants. Substitutes are provided in the recipe card notes;Gochujang – A soy bean-based Korean chilli paste that is packed with umami (savoury flavour), commonly used in Korean cooking for heat, flavour and its rich red colour. A dollop of this can save any (Asian) dish that you feel is missing “something” and it lasts almost forever in the fridge. It’s spicy, but we don’t use much, just 1 tablespoon. Where to find it: These days, you can even find it in the Asian section of major grocery stores in Australia, such as Woolworths and Coles. Otherwise, Asian or Korean stores. Also used in: Momofuku Pork Bossam, Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl), Spicy Korean Pork Stir Fry.
Garlic – It would be an understatement to say Koreans love their garlic. Kimchi Fried Rice would never happen without it!Sesame oil – Koreans also love sesame oil!
How to make Kimchi Fried Rice
Kimchi Fried Rice is flavoured with the juice of Kimchi plus a dab of gochujang for a extra kick of flavour. Really, don’t skip the gochujang. It would be like making Chinese Fried Rice without soy sauce. Just, no! Fashion aside, skip the boho-hipster kimchi brands and stick to a tried-and-true Korean one! Not all kimchi is created equal, so if you can get to an Asian store, even better. Typically the kimchi will be fresher, with better flavour. I am using Paldo brand in this recipe. Struggling with how to cook rice? Here’s how I make it. A game-changer for anyone who has struggled to cook rice on the stove! Type of rice – Any plain white rice works well for the most neutral flavour base, whether long, medium or short grain. Jasmine, basmati, brown and other rices with more flavour will also work just fine but will add their own distinct flavour to the dish. Where to find it: These days, you can even find it in the Asian section of major grocery stores in Australia, such as Woolworths and Coles. Otherwise, Asian or Korean stores. Also used in: Momofuku Pork Bossam, Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl), Spicy Korean Pork Stir Fry.
Part 1: Prep the kimchi
Part 2: Making the Kimchi Fried Rice
Optional toppings: Fried egg & nori strips
If you’re serving Kimchi Fried Rice as a side dish for Korean mains, especially things that are a bit saucy, then it’s fine to serve it unadorned. I cook it in sesame oil and a little garlic for flavour; However, if you’re serving it as a meal, I definitely recommend topping it with a fried egg, sunny side up! This is a traditional topping for Kimchi Fried Rice, and the runny yolk essentially acts like a bit of sauce for the dish. Other traditional garnishes that are more for visual effect than flavour include:
Crispy nori / dried seaweed strips – You can buy roasted, crispy nori seaweed in small packets which is just cut into little batons. Otherwise, just use normal nori or skip it. It’s really not a big part of the eating experience, it’s more for visual;Green onions – Just finely sliced for a nice splash of fresh green colour; andBlack sesame seeds – The black colour pops against the red rice and the egg! But again, it’s not a big deal to skip it.
How to serve Kimchi Fried Rice
Ideas for serving Kimchi Fried Rice:
A side dish to all things Korean;Alongside all things Asian, in fact. Think: next to stir fries, as a side dish for things like Chinese BBQ Pork or Chinese Crispy Pork Belly;Prop up light meals such as Egg Foo Young, or create a meal by serving alongside appetiser-type things like Spring Rolls, Chinese Pork Dumplings (Potstickers), Siu Mai or Sticky Chinese Wings;As a completed meal, topped with the egg; Throw it together on the hotplate at the end of a home Korean barbecue; orUse it to stuff into Korean Lettuce Wraps – try it with Momofuku Pork Bossam. Epic!
Enjoy! – Nagi x
The Spicy Side of Life: Korean recipes
Watch how to make it
Love spicy Asian?
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