Fried rice is the perfect solution for leftover white rice, and kimchi fried rice is the absolute tastiest way to put that rice to good use. This dish will come out best if you refrigerate your rice overnight, which helps dry it out a bit and it will fry up much better, giving you delicious crunchy bits of rice. You can use this recipe for kimchi fried rice as a base template….use whatever vegetables and seasoning you like. Leave out the kimchi and make it Cajun by adding shrimp, andouille sausage and some Cajun seasoning. Or Chinese, by including shrimp, pork cubes, and a sauce of soy, rice vinegar, and oyster sauce. You get the idea…you can take this anywhere you like.
For this delicious kimchi fried rice, we’ll use ingredients and seasonings that align with Korean cuisine. Even if you don’t love kimchi on its own, you’ll love this umami-filled and tasty dish!
The best way to cook any fried rice is on a griddle. But if you don’t have one, you can use a cast iron pan, too. If you use a pan, you’ll want to cook each ingredient as directed, but remove them from the pan when done and combine in a large bowl on the side. You’ll add it all back in at the end before you add the sauce and scallions. The directions assume a griddle is being used.
Serves: 3-4
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Neutral oil such as canola, avocado or grapeseed oil
2 to 2 1/2 cups cooked rice, chilled overnight in the fridge
2 Tbsp butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small Fresno chile pepper, minced (optional)
1/2 cup chopped white or yellow onion
1/2 cup cubed ham (in about 1/4″ dice)
3/4 cup kimchi, chopped into small pieces
1 cup of green cabbage, sliced thin
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup edamame beans (out of the shell)
2 eggs, beaten in a small bowl
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp gochujang (Korean fermented red chile paste)
3 Tbsp kimchi juice (from the jar or package of kimchi)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
First of all, prepare all your ingredients and put each of them in a separate bowl or container. This practice is called mise en place, which means ‘putting in place’ in French and is a practice used by professional chefs. By preparing all of your ingredients before you start cooking, you’ll be able to cook things at exactly the right time rather than having to prep some ingredients while others overcook. Mix the last 4 ingredients (gochujang, kimchi juice, soy sauce and sesame oil) in a small bowl and that will be the sauce you add at the end.
Once you are ready to cook, heat the griddle ideally high heat on one side, and medium heat on the other. If your griddle is too small to span 2 burners (or if you’re using a cast iron pan on the stove), wait to do the rice until after the vegetables and egg are done as outlined below.
On the hot side of the griddle, add a tablespoon of oil, then add the rice and gently tamp with a spatula to spread it out without breaking the rice grains (if using a single pan or one-burner griddle, defer the rice cooking until after you finish the vegetables and egg). Allow to cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes until it starts to lightly color on the bottom. Turn the rice with a spatula to allow the other side to begin browning.
Once you turn the right over, on the medium-heat side of the griddle, add a couple of teaspoons of oil. Once hot, add the onions and cook 3-4 minutes until onions are turning translucent and are lightly browning. Add the ham, kimchi and green cabbage to the same side of the griddle with a bit more oil. Turn all the vegetables with a spatula from time to time. After about 3 minutes, add the carrot and edamame beans to the griddle. After 2 minutes, mix all vegetables together if they’re not already.
Create a small well in the rice, add 1 Tbsp of butter and the garlic. After 30 seconds, mix the garlic and butter with the rice. Once mixed in, scrape over all the vegetables and mix in with the rice thoroughly on the hot side of the griddle. Just to the side of the rice (on the cooler edge), add the remaining Tbsp of butter, and the beaten eggs. Using your spatula, scramble the eggs lightly and immediately mix into the rice. Pour the sauce over the rice, add the scallions and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.
Bon appétit!
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