How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi fried rice is a very popular Korean food, made using kimchi vegetables. What is kimchi? It is fermented vegetables- usually radishes and cabbages- and they are typically served with other foods to make a complete meal.

I’m so glad I learned how to make kimchi fried rice at home so that I can enjoy this Korean staple anytime I want. The most difficult part of making it is probably the kimchi, though you can find that premade in Asian markets and in the Asian section of the grocery store sometimes.

My method for how to make Korean kimchi fried rice keep things very simple and uses savory seasonings that everyone will enjoy.

For those kimchi vegetables, I think the simplest way to prepare them is to use already premade and fermented kimchi juice from a bottle you buy in the store. There are a lot of additional seasonings and flavorings you can add, like various Korean chili paste. I would say to hold off on that if you come across a recipe that recommends it.

That’s especially true if you’re not used to eating a lot of Korean food. The chili paste and other additions to the recipe can be a little strong and may be spicier than what you are used to.

How to Make Delicious Kimchi Fried Rice

I think probably the most common way people make fried rice of any kind is from leftover steamed rice. It’s a great way to use up the rice you have in your fridge in a different way.

I’m a big believer in taking leftovers and doing something different with them so they feel fresh and new and different.

I will show you how to make easy kimchi fried rice from leftover rice. However, you can make freshly steamed rice for this if you like. But you will save some time if you already have some rice cooked up in your fridge.

It doesn’t matter whether the rice you use for kimchi fried rice is hot or cold. If the rice has just finished cooking, allow it to cool for five to 10 minutes before using to make fried rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of kimchi
• ¼ cup of kimchi juice
• 5 ounces of bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 pack of mushrooms (preferably enoki mushrooms), about 7 ounces
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups of cooked white rice
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil
• 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your pan or wok on high heat and then add in the cooking oil and spread it around.
2. Add the minced garlic and stir it for about 10 seconds.
3. Add in your bacon and stir that as well until it is slightly cooked.
4. Add in your kimchi and stir that until it is almost completely cooked.
5. Add in the mushrooms and stir them for just a couple seconds. Then, lower your heat to medium.
6. Add in your kimchi juice and rice. Mix everything together.
7. Next, add your sesame oil and mix that in as well.
8. Then, remove the pan from the heat.
9. Cook the egg separately, sunny side up. Place your cooked egg on top of the rice.
10. Your kimchi fried rice can be served with sesame seeds, seaweed strips, or green onions to garnish.

This is a quick and simple way how to make kimchi fried rice with egg. You do not have to include bacon or garnishes if you don’t want to, and you’ll still have authentic fried rice kimchi.

You know now how to make kimchi fried rice with bacon and eggs, but this is a food that can be made in a vegetarian style or a vegan style, if you like.

How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice with Tteok

There are a few variations of kimchi fried rice that you can make, including one that is made with tteok.

Tteok is a popular Korean street food that is similar to a rice cake, but it’s served in small pieces shaped like pasta. It is usually served in a spicy sauce and can be used in kimchi fried rice dishes. You can use it instead of fried rice.

I wouldn’t use it with the fried rice, because that’s a lot of rice in one dish, but you can try see how you like it and cut down the amount of fried rice in the dish to keep the same overall portion of rice in this food.

You can fry up the tteok rice cake just like we did the fried rice earlier and make the dish the same way.

Tteok is available in many grocery stores in the Asian food section. You’ll save some time if you buy it already prepared rather than trying to make it yourself from scratch.

Tteok is almost always served with a red sauce that is made from a Korean red chili paste or Korean red chili flakes. These can be kind of spicy, and you can use both or one in the sauce.

You can make the sauce yourself or buy it pre-made in the grocery store.

How to Make the Kimchi Spam Fried Rice

You can substitute bacon out with spam, making a softer dish with less crunch. Kimchi fried rice with spam is made the same way as we made it up above in the recipe, but with spam instead of bacon.

You can cut up the spam into small pieces as you fry it- about the size of a thumbnail. That’s the ideal size for the meat pieces in your kimchi fried rice.

The spam provides a similar saltiness to the bacon and works really well in conjunction with the fried egg on top. So, this is a great variation on the classic kimchi fried rice dish, but using a different meat while still giving you similar flavors.

How to Make Seoul Kimchi Fried Rice with Seafood

I want to share with you one other variation on this dish, called Seoul kimchi seafood fried rice. Seoul Kimchi fried rice can simply be another name for Korean kimchi fried rice, but this variation gets rid of the bacon and adds in seafood for a pleasant alternative.

For this we use small shrimp, which may need to be chopped further to make it bite size. Also, you can add in shredded cheese and ham if you like. This is a popular variation of the classic Korean kimchi fried rice, and it’s still pleasantly salty and offers plenty of chewy meaty goodness.

None of these versions of Korean kimchi fried rice are very difficult to make, and if you are familiar with making stir fry or pan frying any rice or meat, then you should be able to make this dish with ease.