Make Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi fried rice is an authentic Korean dish that’s delicious and easy to whip up. As long as you have kimchi and one or two other Korean essentials, you can find everything else you need to make the recipe right in your pantry. Kimchi fried rice can be made with or without meat, and is a great meal to make if you have some leftover rice and are in the mood for a spicy and flavorful dish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (85 g) uncooked rice
• ½ cup (43 g) kimchi
• ¼ cup (59.15 ml) kimchi juice
• ¼ of a small yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) soy sauce
• 1 stalk of scallion
• 2 tablespoon (29.5 ml) cooking oil
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• Slivered nori (for garnish)
• Sesame seeds (for garnish)
• gochujang chili paste (to taste)

Steps

Preparing the Ingredients

1. Cook one cup of rice. Cook White Rice the day before you want to make kimchi fried rice. Use short grain Korean rice if possible, also called sticky rice or Japanese rice. Short grain rice is more authentic and has a different texture than regular long grain rice. You can find short grain rice at most Asian markets and some grocery stores.
   • If you can’t find short grain rice, use Jasmine rice or regular white rice.
   • If you are cooking short grain rice, soak the rice for 30 minutes before cooking it. Soaking the rice helps it to cook evenly and have a better texture.
   • After you’ve soaked your short grain rice, use a 1:1 ratio of rice to water instead of the usual 1:2 ratio. The rice already absorbed some water from soaking, so the normal 1:2 ratio would be using too much water.
2. Store the cooked rice in the fridge overnight. Kimchi fried rice is best made with chilled rice, since rice fries better when it’s cool and dry rather than hot and sticky. Stick your cooked rice in the fridge overnight to cool it and dry it out.
   • If you don’t want to prepare the rice the night before, cook the rice, then spread it in a thin layer on a baking sheet and place it in front of a fan. The fan will help to cool and dry the rice.
3. Heat up ¼ tablespoon of oil in a skillet on medium heat. Place a small skillet over medium heat. Pour a tablespoon of cooking oil into the skillet, swirling it to coat the bottom of the pan.
4. Crack an egg into the skillet. When the oil has heated, crack an egg into the middle of the skillet. The egg should begin to fry once it hits the pan. Let the egg sit and fry without touching it.
   • If you are preparing the dish for several people, make one egg for each serving.
5. Remove the egg when the edges are brown. Let the egg fry until its edges are browned and the yolk has just barely set. Then use a spatula to carefully lift up the egg and transfer it to a plate.
   • Make sure not to tilt the egg as you take it out of the skillet or else the yolk could run.
6. Dice the garlic, onion, scallion and kimchi. Dice the quarter of the yellow onion into half-inch pieces. Finely dice the garlic clove, and cut the green section of the scallion into small rounds. Discard the white section of the scallion. Then chop the kimchi into ¼ inch (.63 cm) pieces using a sharp knife

Cooking the Fried Rice

1. Add the rest of the oil to the skillet and heat. Turn up the heat to medium high, then place a wok over the heat. Pour in the rest of the oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the bottom.
2. Saute the onion and garlic. Once the oil has heated, drop in the onion and garlic into the wok. Heat until the onion and garlic are aromatic, about thirty seconds.
3. Add the kimchi and rice. After the onion and garlic become aromatic, add the kimchi. Stir the onion, garlic and kimchi together to mix. Then pour in the rice and mix until everything is combined.
4. Add the kimchi juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper and scallions. Pour in the kimchi juice, soy sauce and sesame oil, drizzling them evenly over the contents of the wok. Then sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper, and add the scallions.
5. Stir to blend with the rice. Use a large spoon to stir the ingredients together in the wok. Keep the ingredients frying for about five minutes until the rice is warmed through and is beginning to brown.
6. Taste and adjust. Some prefer their rice spicier than others. Taste a small forkful of the kimchi fried rice and see if it is flavorful enough for you. If you prefer it spicier, either add more kimchi juice or add a few teaspoons of gochujang chili paste, a classic Korean condiment often used to add flavor and spice.
   • You can also use Korean chili powder, diced hot pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, sriracha, or your preferred brand of hot sauce.
   • Also add more salt or pepper to taste.

Garnishing and Serving

1. Remove the fried rice from the skillet. After you have adjusted your recipe, dish your fried rice onto a plate. There should be enough rice for two large servings or three regular sized servings.
2. Place the egg on top of the rice. Use a spatula to transfer the fried egg on top of the fried rice. Again, be sure not to tilt the egg or it may run. If you have prepared more than one plate, put an egg on top of each serving.
   • Some prefer to cut the egg using a fork and knife and scramble the pieces into the rice before eating. Others like to keep the egg intact. Do whatever you wish.
3. Garnish with slivered nori and sesame seeds. Adding slivered nori and sesame seeds is a traditional way to garnish kimchi fried rice. Nori, or dried seaweed, adds a distinctive savory flavor, while sesame seeds add texture and nuttiness to rice.
   • These garnishes are not necessary if you are already happy with the flavor of the fried rice.
4. Serve immediately. Kimchi fried rice is best when served hot. The texture of the rice and the egg are much better when served right after cooking, when you have finished garnishing.
   • If the rice gets cold, heat it up again in the skillet on the stovetop rather than heating in the microwave. The microwave can change the texture of the rice and make it mushy.

Tips

• Double the recipe if you are making it for more than three people.
• Fry up and add your favorite meat to make the dish heartier.

Sources and Citations

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See also

• Cook a Rice, Meat and Vegetable Dish
• Make Coconut Fried Rice
• Make Sesame Fried Rice
• Make Easy Fried Rice Using Leftover Rice
• Make Fried Rice
• Make a Shanghai Fried Rice
• Make Egg Fried Rice
• Cook Wild Rice
• Make Japanese Fried Rice
• Make Chinese Fried Rice

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What links here

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