Kimchi fried rice
김치볶음밥 · Day-old rice fried with sour kimchi and gochujang, topped with a runny egg
Kimchi fried rice (김치볶음밥, kimchi bokkeumbap) is the dish Korean households all over the country make when the kimchi has turned sour and there is leftover rice in the fridge. The kimchi and its juice are fried first so they caramelise, then the rice is tossed through until every grain is red, tangy and a little smoky. A fried egg with a runny yolk on top makes it a meal. Use well-fermented vegetarian kimchi, such as the baechu kimchi in this collection; many shop-bought kimchis contain fish sauce or shrimp, so check the label. Chef's tip: the kimchi must be properly sour, at least two or three weeks old. Fresh kimchi makes a flat, watery fried rice; fry it until it catches slightly before the rice goes in.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the fried rice
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- ½ onionfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 7 oz kimchivegetarian, made without fish sauce or salted shrimp; chopped
- 3 tbsp kimchi juicefrom the jar
- ½ tsp sugar
- 14 oz cooked short-grain ricecold, ideally a day old
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 spring onionssliced
To serve
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 sheet roasted seaweed (gim) (optional)crumbled
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Break up 14 oz cooked short-grain rice with your fingers so there are no clumps.
Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Fry ½ onion and 2 cloves garlic for 2 minutes until soft.
2 minStep 4: Stir in 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste) and 3 tbsp kimchi juice, then add the rice. Toss and press it against the pan for 3 minutes until evenly red and piping hot, with a few crisp bits. Listen for a crackle as the rice touches the pan; if it goes quiet and steams, your heat is too low.
3 minStep 5: Season with 1 tsp soy sauce, add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and most of the 2 spring onions and toss once more. Spoon onto two plates.
1 minStep 6: Add 1 tsp neutral oil to the same pan and fry 2 eggs over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.
3 minStep 7: Put an egg on each plate of rice and scatter with the rest of the spring onions, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds and 1 sheet roasted seaweed (gim). Break the yolk into the rice as you eat.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kimchi fried rice take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Indian
Khao kluk kapiShrimp paste rice
Everything on this central Thai plate is arranged in little heaps around a mound of rice tossed with garlic and fermented shrimp paste: sticky caramelised pork (moo wan), threads of sour green mango, shallots, chillies, sliced long beans, crisp dried shrimp and ribbons of thin omelette. You mix a bit of each into every spoonful, so salty, sweet, sour and hot arrive together. It's a favourite at Bangkok's curry-and-rice shops and a clever way to use up yesterday's rice at home; lime wedges and cucumber cool it down. Chef's tip: use day-old jasmine rice straight from the fridge, because freshly cooked rice clumps and smears the shrimp paste instead of coating each grain.
Thai
Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
Hyderabad's biryani grew up in the kitchens of the Nizams, and the kacchi style is its proudest form: the chicken goes into the pot raw, in a thick yogurt, mint and fried-onion marinade, and cooks only in the steam trapped under part-cooked basmati. In the old city it is wedding and Eid food, ordered in huge copper deghs, and at home it's the Sunday showpiece, served with mirchi ka salan and a cooling raita. Because the meat cooks without being stirred, small bone-in thigh and drumstick pieces work best. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge — the yogurt tenderises the chicken and the flavours go right to the bone.