Kimchi Fried Rice

Without a doubt, The most famous and popular Korean food is kimchi! it is also popular in Japan of course. There are a lot of different kinds of kimchi at any supermarkets. Both Koreans and Japanese love eating it as it is with a bowl of steamed rice, but also we like using it as an ingredient in cooking, like stews, soups, and savoury pancakes. One of the most common way to use up leftover kimchi is to make fried rice with it but, as far as I’m concerned, kimchi fried rice is the first dish I make every time i buy a packet of kimchi because I can’t wait for it to be “leftover”.

What is Kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional Korean pickle that is made by fermenting vegetables. The most common kimchi is the one made with nappa cabbage. Normally, the vegetables are fermented with salt, chilli pepper, salted seafood, and garlic. It has a distinctive flavour which is the mixture of spiciness from chilli pepper and sourness from lactic acid fermentation.

Ingredients you will need

Japanese rice (cooked) – We, the Japanese use Japanese rice for every rice dish as you can imagine, but other types of rice can be used for the recipe. Jasmine rice is great substitution for Japanese rice. How to cook Japanese rice –How to cook Japanese Rice in a dutch oven

Kimchi – In Korea, kimchi fried rice is a very common way to use up leftover kimchi because frying can soften the sourness of overripen kimchi. But you can use a newly bought one as I do. I use kimchi that is made with Nappa cabbage.

Soy sauce – You need to season your fried rice with soy sauce because it is full of salty umami flavour which you can’t get from using salt.

Pepper – This is optional, but I want some peppery taste in my fried rice.

Sesame oil – The sesame oil I’m referring to here is the oil that is made from roasted sesame. The nutty aroma gives the fried rice an authentic Asian vibe.

Green onion – This is for colour in your fried rice. You can omit it if you want.

Tips for making vegan kimchi fried rice

Saute kimchi long enough before adding other ingredients

Kimchi is quite sour when you eat it as it is, but heating kimchi can reduce the sourness.

Pour soy sauce directly into the pan

This method is called “burnt soy sauce” which adds the food smoky nutty flavour.

Microwave the rice if you use leftover rice

The most important part of cooking fried rice using Japanese short-grain rice is to make it hot before you add the rice to the pan because the rice tends to be clumpy after it has been cooled. If you add the mass of cooled rice directly into the pan, you can’t get each grain to be coated with the sauce.

Q & A

Can I use other types of rice for this recipe?

Yes, I recommend using jasmine rice if Japanese rice isn’t available in your area. The result would be less moist and sticky than the one made with Japanese rice.

What else to add to the fried rice?

This is the most simple version of kimchi rice, so You can add a variety of things. The popular ingredients are onion, leek, carrot, and egg. Pork and beef are very common in Korea. If you want some vegan protein in your fried rice, pressed and crumbled tofu is my recommendation.

How can I reheat the leftover rice without a microwave?

You can reheat your leftover rice by putting the rice into the pan after frying the kimchi,then put the lid on the pan, and leave it for a couple of minutes to steam and warm the rice.

How can I cook Japanese rice without a rice cooker?

You can cook perfect Japanese rice in a dutch oven or a pot Here are the foolproof ways to cook the rice – How to cook Japanese Rice in a dutch oven / How to Cook Japanese Rice In a Pot

More Korean Recipes

How to Cook Japanese Rice In a Pot

How to cook Japanese Rice in a dutch oven

Vegan Crispy Fried Tofu Rice Bowl with Korean Spicy Sauce (Yangnyeom)

Vegan Korean Potato Pancakes (Gamjajeon)

Skillet Bibimbap (Vegan)