What is kimchi fried rice?
Kimchi fried rice ( kimchi bokkeumbap, 김치볶음밥 ) is a humiliate korean serve made basically with kimchi and leftover rice. Since korean homes about constantly have these two staples, kimchi fried rice is a favorite go-to meal whenever there seems to be nothing to eat at home .
It ’ south particularly popular among young people who are living on a low budget as it is a quick-fix meal, cheap to prepare, yet delicious and filling .
All you need is well fermented kimchi and some cooked rice ! We typically use baechu ( chinese cabbage cabbage ) kimchi for fry rice, but old radish kimchi such as kkakdugi or chongak kimchi, works well excessively. Kimchi has enough of flavors, but it ’ second common to add some gochujang, soy sauce and/or gochugaru for more full-bodied piquant flavors and gaminess.
democratic protein additions by Koreans include march meat, such as bacon, overact, sausage, or spam, a well as canned tuna. You can besides cooked or uncooked chicken, pork barrel, gripe or runt, so feel dislodge to experiment once you ’ ve got a cling of the basic proficiency .
For a vegan option, substitute the meat with bean curd or neglect it. Use vegan kimchi and skip the egg .
The Rice
Koreans typically use light grain white rice for everyday function. however, any other rice you ’ five hundred use for fried rice, including brown rice and desegregate texture rice, is fine for this recipe deoxyadenosine monophosphate well .
As with any fry rice, day old rice is best to use, if available. The rice can get hard after being in the electric refrigerator. heat it up in the microwave to soften it a little and break it up before stir-frying with kimchi .
You can, of path, make fresh rice for this dish. Simply use a little less water system than the common sum to make the rice slenderly drier and cool before using .
How to make kimchi fried Rice
The basic proficiency involves stir-frying the kimchi typically with some aromatic vegetables and seasonings until the kimchi turns piano and deep in color. This step brings out rich flavors of the kimchi .
If you ’ re using uncooked kernel, cook the kernel before stir-frying with the kimchi. It doesn ’ t need to be wholly cooked through. When I use bacon, I cook it until it turns slenderly brown and crisp .
It ’ south much faster if you use cook kernel or canned tuna ( drained ). Simply throw it in while the kimchi is being stir-fried .
After adding the rice to the pan, stir constantly over metier abject heat, breaking up the rice clumps, until everything is well incorporated. This will keep rice from sticking to the pan besides much. Once the rice is evenly coated with the flavorer, turn up the heating system high and stir merely occasionally then the rice can get nicely toasted .
Tips for making good kimchi fried rice
- Whenever you cook with kimchi, it is best to use well-fermented kimchi for the rich and robust flavor it develops. No exception here.
- If the leftover rice is hard after being in the fridge, heat it up in the microwave to soften it a little and break it up before stir-frying with the kimchi mix.
- If you are using raw meat, season it with salt and pepper. A small amount of garlic and/or ginger to flavor the meat will be great too. Cook the meat before stir-frying with the kimchi.
- To make it spicier, add gochugaru instead of more gochujang. Too much gochujang will make the dish too salty.
- Use high heat to cook the kimchi, medium low heat while breaking up the rice clumps to keep the rice from sticking to the pan too much, and high heat to get the rice nicely toasted at the end.
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Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeum Bap)
4.43
from
64
votes
chief
Prep Time:
10
minutes
Cook Time:
15
minutes
Total Time:
25
minutes
Servings:
2
Print Recipe
Ingredients
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3 – 4 strips of bacon, diced ( or about 4 ounces ham or spam, or 1 can of tuna, drained ) See note 1 if using uncooked kernel
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3/4 cup diced kimchi See note 2
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1/4 little onion, diced diced
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1
leek, chopped chop
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1 small carrot, finely chopped – optional
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3 – 4 tablespoons juice from kimchi
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1 tablespoon soy sauce
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1 tablespoon gochujang ( korean chili pepper spread ) See note 3
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2-1/2 cups cooked rice See note 4
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oil for stir-frying
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1/2 tablespoon sesame anoint
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salt and pepper to taste
Optional
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1 teaspoon sesame seeds
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2 eggs fried
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1 sheet roasted gim ( dried seaweed sail )
Instructions
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If using bacon, heat a lightly oiled large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces. Cook until the bacon is slightly browned. If you don’t want all the rendered fat, remove it from the pan and add a couple of tablespoons of cooking oil. If using ham, spam or canned tuna instead of bacon, you can simply add it while stir-frying kimchi in step 2.
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Add the onion and scallion and stir-fry quickly over high heat. Add the kimchi, optional carrots, juice from kimchi, soy sauce and gochujang. Stir fry until the kimchi turns soft and deep in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Take the time to do this step so the rich flavors develop.
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Add the rice, and reduce the heat to medium low. Stir until everything is well incorporated and the clumped up rice is broken up, 3 to 4 minutes.
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Once the rice is evenly coated with the seasoning, turn up the heat high and continue to fry the rice, turning occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the sesame oil and the optional sesame seeds at the end.
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Top with the optional fried egg, and garnish with the optional sesame seeds, gim (dried seaweed) strips and/or chopped scallion and serve.
Notes
- If you are using raw meat, season it with salt and pepper. A small amount of garlic and/or ginger to flavor the meat will be great too. Cook the meat before stir-frying with the kimchi.
- Whenever you cook with kimchi, it is best to use well-fermented kimchi for the rich and robust flavor it develops. No exception here.
- For spicier fried rice, add gochugaru instead of more gochujang. Too much gochujang will make the dish too salty.
- If the leftover rice is hard after being in the fridge, heat it up in the microwave to soften it a little and break it up before stir-frying with the kimchi mix.
Tried this recipe ? Mention @ koreanbapsang or tag # koreanbapsang This recipe was primitively posted in December 2010. I ’ ve updated it here with modern photos, more information and minor changes to the recipe .