Name: KIMCHI FRIED RICE
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 2 cup cooked rice ((leftover cold rice is best)); 1 1/2 cup old kimchi ((신김치 shin kimchi)); 2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil; 1-2 tsp korean red chili paste ((고추장 gochoojang) (optional)); 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds ((볶은깨 Bokeun Kkae)); 1 sheet dried seaweed or nori ((김 Kim) (optional)); 1 egg ((optional))

Kimchi Fried Rice Recipe that is simply the best. This Kimchi Fried Rice recipe is a tried and true recipe that dates back to my college days. And it’s great way to utilize old sour kimchi.

Kimchi Fried Rice in black bowl close up

Kimchi Fried Rice (Bokkeumbap)

Kimchi Fried Rice or Kimchi bokkeumbap (김치볶음밥) always brings back so many memories for me. When I was in high school in Korea, I loved Kimchi Bokkeumbap so much that I think I had it almost every other day. I think I was kind of addicted to it..and of course that ‘was just entirely too delicious for my figure’… HAHA.

Kimchi Bokkeumbap is also one of the first Korean food that I learned to make for myself as a grad student living in the US. I made it for myself often whenever I had the time or needed some Korean food fix. This is such a satisfying dish and yet it’s so easy to make. So you should give it a try even if you have NEVER cooked Korean food before!!

During grad school days, I usually had it straight from the frying pan – no need to get another dish dirty, right?? 😜 😝 If you want to know, eating Kimchi Fried Rice straight from the pan, especially after the bottom is well burnt, is truly the BEST way to eat it. But ssshhhh… don’t tell my mom that because she always yelled at me if I ever tried to do that. Don’t eat like that – she said. That’s no way for a lady to eat – she said.

So needless to say, eating straight from the pan gave me an extra joy of ‘doing whatever I wanted’ now that I was no longer living at home. I guess my daughter will feel the same way I’m sure. The only problem was when I ate from the pan, I ate and ate until it was all gone without really realizing how full I was.

Chef’s Tips for BEST Kimchi Fried Rice

Don’t make it SOGGY – So many people make the mistake of making Kimchi Fried Rice with too much kimchi liquid and having the rice too wet which makes the fried rice too soggy.
Use leftover cold rice that comes cold from the refrigerator. The cold rice breaks apart easily with your hands. Instead of trying to break the rice in the pan with a spoon or spatula, use your hands to break it apart into granules. But if you don’t have any cold rice, you can certainly cook some rice and use it while it is hot. Just use 2-3 T less water when cooking the rice so you end up with a more dry rice that doesn’t stick together as much.
Use old sour Kimchi – Kimchi should be at least couple weeks old for it to taste good in the fried rice. If you don’t have well ripened sour kimchi, you can add a bit of maesil syrup or even a little vinegar to add some tartness to it.
Make BURNT rice – The key to also making the best Kimchi Fried Rice is to let some of the rice burn in the pan. There’s nothing better than burnt Kimchi Fried Rice!! So after it’s all done, let the rice sit in the pan one medium-low heat for few minutes until they become nicely browned or slightly burnt.
Cook your favorite EGG style – everyone has a different preference for eggs. Hard cooked, soft or runny..if you like runny eggs, then instead of scrambling the eggs like I do here, top the rice with an over easy or sunny side-up pan-fried egg. The runny yolk will make the fried rice extra yummy!
STORAGE/REHEATING – you can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week and just reheat in the frying pan on medium heat or in the microwave. You can also freeze it and it reheats well.

How to make Kimchi Fried Rice Variations –

With Tuna – canned tuna is a great addition to kimchi fried rice. Just drain tuna from can and add it when adding rice.
With Bulgogi – if you have leftover bulgogi, stir fry bulgogi with kimchi first then add rice. This Bulgogi Kimchi Fried Rice will taste a bit sweeter and richer.
With Pork – you can also stir fry raw pieces of beef or pork and kimchi together before adding rice. If you like pork, you can use my 3-in-1 Kimchi Pork Freezer Recipe to make it anytime!
With Spam – cut up some spam and stir fry with kimchi. Note, Spam is quite salty so you may want to add more rice to balance the flavor. Thank you to my friend Soo for mentioning it to me!
With Bacon – add bacon with kimchi and you have got a great dish because bacon just makes everything better. Cut bacon into small pieces and saute with kimchi first then add rice.
With Cheese – make kimchi fried rice as usual then add a slice of cheese (mild cheddar or mozzarella) on top and let it melt on top while the rice is getting browned on the bottom. YUM!

Step-by-step Directions

Servings:2 Time: 15-20 min (if cooked rice is available) Difficulty: easy

Cut cabbage kimchi into bite-size strips.
Cut kimchi
Measure about 1 1/2 cup of cut kimchi (more or less to taste) and 2 cups of cooked rice (leftover cold rice works best).
Ingredients – Rice and Kimchi
If you want to add eggs to your fried rice, cook them first. Just add little oil (1 tsp) and an egg to pan, break it up and cook until they are done. Set aside.
Egg Scrambled in pan
Heat 2 T of oil in frying pan over medium high heat. Add kimchi, sugar and gochujang and stir fry for 5 min. or until the kimchi becomes soft and a slightly translucent. Omit gochujang or use less amount to make it less spicy.
Sauteed Kimchi in frying pan
Turn heat to low and add rice to pan. Break up the rice with your hands (if rice is cold out of the fridge and it’s one big lump) or press down the rice with a spatula or spoon to mix it with the kimchi.
Breaking up Rice in Pan
Once kimchi and rice are all mixed in, add the scrambled egg. Taste a bit of the rice – you can add more rice if it’s too salty or spicy. Be sure to add a bit more oil if you add more rice.
Finally, add toasted sesame seeds and torn pieces of toasted seaweed/nori to rice mixture. Use plain, unsalted dried, toasted seaweed gim (or nori for sushi) if you can. The roasted seaweed with oil and salt (the ones that you can easily buy from stores as snacks) can make the fried rice too salty so be careful not to use too much if you are using the salted one.
Kimchi Fried Rice all finished
Increase heat back to medium and leave it unturned for 3-4 min or more to make the bottom part a little burnt – the best part!!!
Now you should have fried rice that’s bursting with flavors of kimchi and gochujang, the bits of egg breaking up the spiciness and finally the bits of the crusty burnt rice which has all the wonderful flavors nicely melded together. Enjoy it as a one-dish meal anytime you don’t feel like cooking or need that something to hit the spot!
Kimchi Fried Rice (Bokkeumbap) Closeup

And if you want to watch a video of how I make the 3-in-1 Kimchi Pork Dishes (Kimchi Jjigae with Pork Belly, Kimchi Pork Tofu and Kimchi Fried Rice with Pork) here it is!

If you have made this easy Kimchi Fried Rice or any other recipe on my blog then please leave a rating (click the 5 stars on the top right of the recipe card) and leave me a comment to let me know how you like it! I’d LOVE to hear from you!!! 😍

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Happy Eating!

XOXO ❤️

JinJoo

Kimchi Fried Rice in black bowl with wooden spoon

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