Kimchi Fried Rice
This meal comes together quickly, so have all the ingredients ready to add to the pan. Edamame in the pod is a great starter or side dish if you'd like to add another component to the meal. Alternatively, you could stir some shelled edamame into the fried rice for added color, texture, and flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (28ml) neutral oil of choice
- ½ an onion, diced small
- 1 large carrot, diced small
- 1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped, + 2½ tablespoons kimchi brine (may omit the brine for less tang)
- 4 cups cooked rice (from 1⅓ cups/240g uncooked; day-old is best)
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari as needed)
- 1 tablespoon (14ml) toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon (18g) gochujang paste (use a GF brand like O'Food if needed; see notes for more on brands and spice level)
- 1-2 scallions, thinly sliced
- Optional add-ins: fried or scrambled eggs, and/or a protein of choice (shrimp, chicken, pork, tofu). Add either or both—see notes for details
Instructions
- If adding eggs: For scrambled, whisk 4 eggs in a medium bowl. Lightly oil or spray a skillet (I use the same 12-inch skillet I'll cook the rice in) and set over medium-high heat. Pour in the eggs, season with salt and pepper, and scramble until cooked but still a little glossy. Remove to a plate and roughly chop. For fried eggs, cook them in a separate skillet, sunny side up or flipped with yolks cooked to your liking, while you finish the fried rice.
- Wipe out the pan if needed, then heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté until crisp-tender, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add the kimchi, kimchi brine, and gochujang to the pan and sauté until the liquid simmers—this won't take long.
- Add the rice and stir well, then add the soy sauce and sesame oil and cook, stirring to thoroughly incorporate, until hot. Stir in the optional cooked protein and scrambled eggs, if using, during the final minute to warm through.
- Remove from the heat and garnish with sliced scallions. When using fried eggs, I top the individual servings with an egg.
Notes
Gochujang is a fermented Korean chili paste—thick and savory with a touch of sweetness and a heat level that ranges from mild to spicy depending on the brand. It's usually sold in a tub; the squeeze-bottle version is a different, thinner sauce, so skip that for this recipe. Gochujang can contain gluten, so check the label if that's a concern—O'Food makes an authentic Korean gochujang that's widely available and gluten-free, though it doesn't come in a range of spice levels the way some brands do. The spice is similar to a hot salsa—spicy but not on fire—and the amount used here adds good flavor without making the final dish especially fiery. That said, you can use less (or more) to taste. Finally, as much as I usually like Wegmans store-brand products, I prefer the O'Food brand to their gochujang.
I really like adding a protein to this rice, both for texture and to make it more filling. You have a lot of flexibility:
- Leftover or rotisserie chicken—simply chop or shred it.
- Raw shrimp, chopped chicken, or sliced steak—sear in a bit of oil until just cooked, then remove to a plate and stir into the fried rice at the end.
- Parchment Packet Chicken is another easy option. When I make it specifically for this recipe, I lightly season the raw chicken and then coat it with gochujang, using 1 tablespoon per pound of meat.
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