Kimchi Fried Rice
Day-old rice stir-fried with chopped ripe kimchi, bacon, onion and a spoonful of gochujang, finished with sesame oil and topped with a runny fried egg. Ready in 25 minutes; serves 2 to 3.
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Kimchi bokkeumbap is what Korean home cooks make with leftover rice and kimchi that has gotten a little too sour to eat on its own. Cooking mellows the kimchi, and its juice seasons every grain of rice.
Bacon is an easy stand-in for the pork belly or canned ham you will often find in Korea, and the fried egg on top is not optional: break the yolk and stir it into the rice as you eat.
Ingredients
- 3 strips bacon, chopped, or 4 ounces pork belly, diced
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1 cup chopped ripe kimchi, plus 3 tablespoons kimchi juice
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 cups cold cooked rice, preferably day-old
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 or 3 large eggs
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Crumbled roasted seaweed snacks, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. In a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon for 4 to 5 minutes, until most of the fat has rendered and it is starting to crisp.
- Add the onion and kimchi. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the kimchi, gochujang and sugar and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, until the kimchi softens.
- Add the rice. Break up any clumps in the rice with your hands and add it to the pan with the kimchi juice and soy sauce. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, pressing the rice against the pan, until it is evenly red and heated through. Stir in the sesame oil and divide among plates.
- Fry the eggs. Wipe out the pan, add the vegetable oil and fry the eggs over medium heat until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.
- Serve. Top each serving with a fried egg, green onions and crumbled seaweed.
Tips
- Freshly cooked rice turns mushy. If that is all you have, spread it on a sheet pan and refrigerate it uncovered for an hour first.
- The older and more sour the kimchi, the better the fried rice.
Questions about this recipe
- What kind of kimchi should I use?
- Napa cabbage kimchi that has fermented for a few weeks and tastes noticeably sour. Fresh kimchi works but gives a milder result.
- Can I make it vegetarian?
- Yes. Skip the bacon, start with 2 tablespoons of oil, and add diced mushrooms or tofu with the onion.
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