My version is studded with some smoky bacon. Once plated, the rice is drizzled with sesame oil, then garnished with a fried egg, scallions, sesame seeds, and strips of roasted seaweed, making for a pungent and satisfyingly filling dish. This slightly smoky, bacon-studded Korean fried rice is a simple dish to make for either a snack or light meal, especially if you have leftover rice on hand. It’s a mouthful of flavors and textures— bits of crispy rice mixed in with soft rice grains are layered with spicy and slightly sour notes from the kimchi and then even more spice and sweetness from the Korean chili paste. It’s an endlessly versatile dish you can personalize with leftovers, aromatics, and ingredients from your fridge.
All About Kimchi
The longer kimchi sits the more it ferments and the more sour it can become and that’s what you want for fried rice. The best kimchi to use for cooking fried rice is one that’s been sitting around in the fridge for a while and has gotten sour and funky. You want to use kimchi that has a complex flavor that you won’t necessarily find from fresh kimchi. Homemade or store-bought kimchi are both perfectly fine to use. We are partial to this homemade Quick Kimchi on our site. If you make it from scratch, you’ll want to wait at least three weeks to get the full flavor for this recipe.
How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice
Using leftover rice is usually the best way to make fried rice. Not only are you using up leftovers, but the slightly dried out rice results in a fried rice that is less sticky and requires less oil. However, when a craving for it hits me and I don’t have any rice languishing, I have no issues making a fresh pot of rice and then spreading it out onto a baking sheet to cool and slightly dry out, which is what I have done for this recipe. To get perfect Kimchi Fried rice every time follow these tips: Squeeze out your kimchi! Really give it a good wringing. You’ll be surprised how much liquid you can yield. The reason to squeeze out as much liquid as possible is two-fold. First, you want to get some caramelization on the kimchi and you’re not going to succeed with soggy kimchi. Secondly, kimchi needs to be covered in its liquid when stored or it starts to go bad, so you want to keep as much liquid in the jar to keep your remaining kimchi submerged. Use a short or medium-grain rice for kimchi fried rice. Please note that this is not short-grain rice like Arborio or bomba rice. Think more along the lines of sushi rice. I prefer a type of rice called haiga, which has the layer of bran removed, but the germ intact. It’s not as chewy as brown rice but has more chew than white rice. In a pinch, use long grain rice like jasmine rice. Do not constantly stir the rice while frying. Let the rice to sit in the pan for a minute or two to form a crust at the bottom, stir it up, and then let it sit again. This way you’ll get some crispy bits throughout the finished dish.
Swaps, Substitutions, and Add-ons
This is a super simple dish that doesn’t require much, but if you’re looking to pare it down, lose the seaweed garnish or the garlic and/or onions. For meat-free fried rice exclude the bacon from this dish. The fried egg over top the rice is optional, but the broken yolk lends a nice richness to the final dish. Korean-fried rice can also be gussied up with SPAM, hot dogs, even canned tuna. Alternatively, you can throw in leftover bits of cooked meat, fresh vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, celery, peppers or frozen mixed vegetables like peas and carrots. Whatever your add-ins remember to be judicious because the more loaded up you make your fried rice, the wetter and heavier it gets.
How to Serve Kimchi Fried Rice
I like my Korean fried rice with a fried egg with lots of crispy edges which gives the dish different textures, while the garnishes layer on even more flavor. The rice can be served on its own or with banchan, which are side dishes that can include pickles or seasoned vegetables. Unlike some other Asian cultures, Korean fried rice is usually served with a long-handled spoon, although any spoon will do.
1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
Roasted seaweed snack, thinly sliced
Check the pot about 10 minutes in to make sure the pot isn’t spluttering. If so, lower the heat. The power of stoves varies from stove to stove and my medium-low heat can be your low heat. You should yield 6 1/2 to 7 cups of rice. If you’re working with leftover cooked rice, bring it to room temperature and break up any large clumps. If you yield less than 1/4 cup of juice, spoon some juice out of the kimchi jar to yield a total of 1/4 cup of juice. Coarsely chop the kimchi and set aside. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain excess grease. Leave 3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet and transfer the remaining bacon fat to a bowl; you may want to add a little more fat to the pan later. Add the kimchi and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kimchi is slightly caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the reserved kimchi juice, salt, garlic, and gochujang and stir-fry until the sauce darkens slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked bacon into the rice and stir to combine. Let the rice sit undisturbed again, another 1 to 2 minutes, then stir again.
