If you love kimchi then you’re in for a treat with this Kimchi Fried Rice recipe.
As a child I remember day-old rice being synonymous with an unplanned treat. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t particularly like eating day-old rice; fresh warm rice was always the preferred choice. If you grew up in a Korean household though then you surely know that your day-old rice always turned into some kind of delicious fried rice…my favorite kind of fried rice being Kimchi Fried Rice.
This is the Kimchi Fried Rice I remember my mom making for our family when we were kids. It had a lot of fermented kimchi with the usual korean ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic. Adding a tablespoon of gochujang (korean red pepper paste) is the secret to enhancing the flavor of the kimchi so don’t skip the gochujang (after all it’s Kimchi Fried Rice!).
You can serve Kimchi Fried Rice simply in a bowl, or use the bowl to mold the rice onto a plate (as pictured). My favorite though is eating it straight out of the pan while it’s still hot and sizzling…the way my mom always served it.
Kimchi Fried Rice
If you love kimchi then you're in for a treat with this Kimchi Fried Rice. Adding in a bit of gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) enhances the kimchi flavor making the fried rice even tastier.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked short grain rice (preferably 1-day old)
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- 1 white onion, finely chopped
- 150g pork belly , chopped
- 2 cups kimchi, chopped
- 1 tablespoon gochujang (korean red pepper paste)
- 1 garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- sea salt
- black pepper
- GARNISH:
- 3-4 eggs (depending on amount of servings)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- additional sesame oil
- additional sesame seeds
- 1 green onion, thinly chopped
- nori, torn pieces
Directions
- Step 1 NOTE ABOUT THE RICE: The most important part of this recipe is the rice. It must be at least 1-day old. Fresh rice has too moisture and will become sticky instead of fluffy. For this reason fried rice has been known to be a great recipe for using up leftover rice. Make sure to use short-grain rice (rice you would use for sushi).
- Step 2 Place your day-old rice in a large bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoon of vegetable oil and work it into the rice. Set aside.
- Step 3 In a wok or large cast-iron skillet (if you don’t have these then you can use any other pan that can heat well) over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Then add onions, pork belly and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook until pork belly is cooked through and onions become translucent.
- Step 4 Add chopped kimchi. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Step 5 Add gochujang and minced garlic. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Step 6 Now push everything to the outer edge of the pan and add the rice in the center, flattening it gently against the bottom of the pan. Leave it alone for 30 seconds before mixing everything together. Then leave it alone again for another 30 seconds.
- Step 7 Add soy sauce and sesame oil to the outer edge of the pan rather than pouring it right on top of the rice. Then add directly on top of the rice 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds and season with a pinch of both salt and black pepper. Then mix everything together. Let the mixture set in the pan for about 30 seconds and mix everything together again one more time.
- Step 8 MAKE THE EGGS: Make an egg for each serving. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add butter. Once butter is melted crack in your eggs making sure there is space between each. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook until the edges of the egg whites become crispy.
- Step 9 TO ASSEMBLE: In a small bowl (individual portion size) add fried rice and give it a gentle press to flatten the top surface. Place a plate over the top of the bowl so that it covers the rice. Holding the top of plate and bottom of the bowl simultaneously carefully invert the bowl (the bowl should now be upside down and the underneath it. Slowly lift the bowl and you should have a perfectly shaped dome of fried rice. Place a sunny-side fried egg on top. Garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil, sesame seeds, green onions and nori pieces.
- Step 10 Alternatively you can just transfer the fried rice into individual bowls, place an egg on top and garnish (or not) with your garnish options.