Hey guys! It has been a while! I’ve been super occupied with work and motherhood, but a day does not go by without me thinking about my blog and YouTube channel! I am excited to share with you my first fried rice recipe, Korean style – with KIMCHIIIII!
What is Kimchi?
Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made with fermented vegetables and various spices. Napa cabbage is likely the most popular choice for kimchi, but it is often made with radish and cucumber as well. Kimchi is commonly included in “banchan” or a spread of small side dishes served with rice in the Korean cuisine. Nowadays, it is used as an ingredient in many dishes, including kimchi pancake, kimchi dumplings and kimchi fried rice!
Benefits of Kimchi
Because kimchi has undergone fermentation, it offers natural probiotic bacteria that is believed to be beneficial to gut health. Primarily a veggie dish, it also contains fiber. Moreover, studies have shown that kimchi boosts the immune system, lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol and improves brain and heart health. What’s not to love about it?
Kimchi Fried Rice
With that said, I love combining kimchi with leftover cooked rice, using my easy kimchi fried rice recipe. I usually use sushi rice because I love the sticky texture that folds in nicely with the kimchi and gojuchang sauce. There are many variations of this fried rice dish. To name a couple, you may add bacon or spam for additional fattiness and smokiness that complements, well, anything! You may also add vegetables like mushroom or protein such as pork or shrimp. Due to my hectic schedule, I like keeping it simple (as with most of my recipes), plating this dish for my other half within just 15-20 minutes. PLEASE, do NOT forget the sunny side up egg!!
If you tried my recipe, be sure to leave a comment below, tag me @rackoflam on social media and subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Easy 15 Minutes Kimchi Fried Rice
Ingredients
- Day old cooked sushi rice (cooked with 1.5-2 cups uncooked sushi rice and 1:1 water to rice ratio and refrigerated)
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 stalk scallion chopped with greens and whites separated
- ¾ cup kimchi coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
SAUCE
- 2 tbsp kimchi juice
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp sesame oil
GARNISH
- sunny side up egg optional
- shredded nori optional
Instructions
- Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Mix until blended, then set aside.
- Over medium heat, heat neutral oil on a nonstick pan, then add whites of scallion, onion and garlic and stir for about 1 min.
- Add day old sushi rice, then break them up with a spatula.
- Add kimchi, stir briefly, then pour sauce mixture into the pan and immediately mix until thorughly combined with the rest of the ingredients.
- Plate, then top with remaining chopped greens of scallions, optional sunny side up egg and shredded nori. Enjoy!
