Kimchi Fried Rice

Don’t be intimidated by the fiery red colour of Kimchi Fried Rice. It actually isn’t that spicy! But it’s certainly loaded with flavour, even more than its Chinese counterpart. It makes an excellent (essential) side dish for a Korean food night, or alongside any Asian food. And it’s a satisfying meal in itself!

WHAT IS KIMCHI FRIED RICE

Kimchi fried rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap, 김치 볶음밥) is a type of Korean fried rice and it is predominantly cooked with kimchi (obviously!) To give it more texture and flavor a variety of meat and/or vegetables are often added. So, when I make my kimchi fried rice I typically add bacon and mushrooms (particularly enoki mushrooms). Bacon gives a nice smoky flavor and enoki mushrooms give a nice crunchy feel to the dish. Besides, my husband loves meat just like any other male (I think?), so he won’t accept my kimchi fried rice unless it contains some meat in it! lol Kimchi fried rice is one of the most popular ways to use up your old ripened kimchi along with Kimchi jjigae (Kimchi stew) and Kimchi pancake.

BEST RICE FOR KIMCHI FRIED RICE

Kimchi fried rice is also a great way to use up some of your leftover steamed rice. You probably heard that one or two day old rice fries better? Let me put this into context. Typically, freshly steamed rice is moist and soft and when they get stir fried, they can go gluggy, which isn’t very nice in a stir fry dish! But, if you can manage the water amount well, you can use the freshly steamed rice as well. Just make the rice intentionally drier by adding slightly less water when you steam it.

Ingredients:


Garnishes:

    HOW TO MAKE KIMCHI FRIED RICE :

  1. Extract juice from kimchi – Measure out 1 packed cup of kimchi, then either press through a sieve to extract as much juice as possible OR just grab handfuls and squeeze it out. I normally do the latter, but thought it would be more respectable to use a sieve for the purpose of sharing this recipe!

  2. Measure kimchi juice – Measure out 3 tablespoons of the kimchi juice and set aside. (Note 3 if you're short).

  3. Cook enoki mushrooms – Heat 1 tsp sesame oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add enoki mushrooms, about 1/2 tsp garlic, plus a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes until just-wilted, then remove to a plate.

  4. Garlic and gochujang – Return pan to the stove. Add oil. Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds until it's lightly golden. Add gochujang and cook for 30 seconds until it dries out a bit – just move it around in a lump, breaking it up a bit as you can.

  5. Cook kimchi – Add kimchi and cook for 1 minute, just to heat it through (kimchi doesn't need to be cooked) and drive off any excess moisture.

  6. Add rice and kimchi juice – Add rice and kimchi juice, toss well for 1 1/2 minutes until the rice is fully stained red. Toss well to ensure the gochujang mixed with the kimchi disperses throughout the rice.