Kimchi Fried Rice
김치볶음밥 with aged kimchi, day-old rice, gochujang, and a fried egg: a weeknight bowl built on leftovers.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- easy
A classic kimchi-bokkeumbap method compiled from common Korean home recipes. Aged kimchi and cold rice matter more than the exact gochujang brand.
김치볶음밥 is leftover cooking at its best: sour napa kimchi, cold rice, a spoon of gochujang, and enough heat to wake the pan. The kimchi brings acid and funk that fresh cabbage cannot. The rice needs to be dry enough that the grains stay separate instead of turning into porridge.
Cook the kimchi and paste first so they soften and caramelize. Then fold in the rice until every grain looks stained and hot. A fried egg on top is optional in theory and nearly always welcome in practice.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold day-old cooked short- or medium-grain rice
- 1 cup chopped aged napa cabbage kimchi, plus 3 Tbsp kimchi brine from the jar (more as needed)
- 1–2 Tbsp neutral oil
- 1 Tbsp gochujang, plus more to taste
- Optional: ¼ tsp sugar, to round sharp kimchi
- Optional: ½ Tbsp light soy sauce if your brine is mild and you skipped salty meat
- 2 eggs
- 1–2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1–2 tsp toasted sesame oil, to finish
- Optional: toasted sesame seeds and shredded roasted gim (seaweed)
- Optional protein: 3–4 oz diced spam, bacon, or ham
Method
- 1Break up the cold rice with wet fingers or a spatula so there are no hard clumps. Set it near the stove.
- 2Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. If using spam, bacon, or ham, cook it first until lightly browned at the edges, then leave it in the pan.
- 3Add the kimchi and stir-fry 2–4 minutes until the pieces soften, the edges look a little caramelized, and the pan smells sharp and sweet. Softer, well-aged kimchi needs less time; firmer kimchi needs more.
- 4Lower the heat to medium. Add the gochujang, kimchi brine, and sugar if using (and soy sauce if using). Stir 20–40 seconds so the paste loosens and coats the kimchi without scorching. If the pan looks dry and sticky, splash in a spoon of water.
- 5Add the rice. Raise the heat back to medium-high. Press and fold until the grains separate and look evenly stained, 2–4 minutes. If the rice still tastes pale, add another spoon of brine and keep tossing. Taste. Add a teaspoon more gochujang only if you want more heat and depth; skip extra soy if you already used salty meat.
- 6Turn off the heat. Drizzle in the sesame oil and toss once. Fry the eggs in a second pan (or push the rice aside and fry them in the same skillet). Top the rice with the eggs, scallions, and sesame seeds or gim if you have them. Serve hot.
Notes
Useful details
- Older, sour kimchi is the point of the dish. Fresh kimchi works in a pinch; add a little more brine and a teaspoon of rice vinegar if the pan tastes flat.
- Freshly cooked hot rice fries into mush. Spread it on a plate to steam off, then chill 30 minutes if you forgot to plan ahead.
- Gochujang brands vary in salt and sweetness. Start with 1 tablespoon; add more only after tasting.
- Plan on about 3 tablespoons brine for 2 cups rice. Some jars run dry; others are very salty. Add brine gradually and stop when the rice tastes seasoned.
- Sesame oil is a finish, not the frying fat. Add it at the end so it stays nutty.
- A soy sauce egg can stand in for a fried egg if you already have one in the fridge.