Kimchi Fried Rice
Kimchi Fried Rice is a quick Korean rice dish made with cooked rice, napa cabbage kimchi, sesame oil, and a fried egg.
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25 mintotal
Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- Medium
Ingredients
Quantities are for 2 servings.
You'll need: Stovetop.
No inactive time, but the rice needs to be cooked and cooled beforehand; warm rice steams rather than fries and turns the dish sticky.
Method
Break up the cooked rice with your fingers or a spoon so the grains are loose before it goes into the pan.
Heat the neutral oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat, then cook the garlic briefly until fragrant.
Add the napa cabbage kimchi and sugar, then stir-fry until the kimchi smells rounded and the excess liquid reduces.
Stir in the gochujang and soy sauce until the kimchi is evenly coated.
Add the cooked rice and toss well, pressing and turning so the rice absorbs the kimchi seasoning without becoming mushy.
Finish the rice with part of the sesame oil and spring onion greens, then taste and add the measured salt only if needed.
In a separate small pan, fry the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked to your preference.
Serve the rice topped with fried eggs, sesame seeds, and the remaining sesame oil.
How to tell it's done
The rice should be separate, lightly glossy, and coated with kimchi seasoning, not wet or sticky.
Getting it right
Tip
Use a wide pan and avoid crowding so the rice fries instead of steaming.
What to serve it with
Serve with cucumber slices or a simple clear soup to balance the spicy-sour kimchi flavor.
Substitutions
- Use freshly cooked rice only after spreading it out briefly so steam escapes; very hot wet rice can turn mushy.
- Reduce gochujang for a milder version while keeping kimchi as the main flavor base.
- Kimchi and gochujang can contain fish, shellfish, soy, or wheat depending on the brand, so check labels for dietary and allergen needs.
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