Kimchi Fried Rice
This is a rescue dish for when you have leftover rice and a jar of kimchi that has moved past its crunch and into full, sour fermentation. The secret lies in treating the rice as a sponge for the brine, letting it dry out just enough to get a toasted crust on the bottom of the pan.
Cold rice is not a suggestion
Using fresh, hot rice will turn this into a soggy paste; the drier and colder your leftover rice, the better it will fry.
- Cast iron skillet or carbon steel wok
- Spatula
- Chef's knife
What goes in.
- 2 cupsday-old cooked jasmine rice
- 1 cupwell-fermented kimchi, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 tbspkimchi brine from the jar
- 2 tspgochujang
- 1 tbspneutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
- 1 tsptoasted sesame oil
- 2large eggs
- 1 stalkscallion, sliced thin
Evaporation is flavor
Add the kimchi to the hot oil and cook until the liquid in the pan disappears and the kimchi begins to darken. This concentrates the acidity before the rice ever touches the pan.
The method.
Fry the base
Heat the neutral oil in your skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped kimchi and fry for 3 minutes until the edges start to look charred.
Incorporate the sauce
Stir in the gochujang and the kimchi brine. Let it bubble for 30 seconds until it thickens into a glaze.
Toast the rice
Break up the cold rice with your hands, add it to the pan, and fold it into the kimchi mixture. Spread it out and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes to develop a crust.
Finish
Turn off the heat, stir in the toasted sesame oil, and top with a quick-fried egg and scallions.
Other turns to take.
Bacon or Spam
Add 1/2 cup of diced protein to the pan during step one to render out the fat before adding the kimchi.
Cheesy Kimchi Rice
Stir in 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella once the rice is finished and cover the pan for a minute until melted.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If your rice is clumped, wet your hands with cold water to break it apart before adding it to the pan.
Don't skip the brine; it provides the essential salt and acidity that replaces any need for added soy sauce.
Cook your egg separately in a small non-stick pan while the rice sits so you can ensure the yolk stays runny.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use freshly cooked rice?
Only if you spread it thin on a baking sheet and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to dry out the surface starch.
My rice is sticking too much to the skillet.
The sticking is actually the goal, as it creates the charred crust. Use a metal spatula to scrape those bits off the bottom of the pan and fold them back into the rice.
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