Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap)

Kimchi Fried Rice is a really simple and easy dish that’s bursting with flavors of sour kimchi. And the bits of egg and pork adds richness while the perfectly crusty burnt rice adds an awesome crunchy texture. An amazingly delicious meal in 20 minutes or less!

Kimchi Fried Rice or Kimchi Bokkeumbap (김치볶음밥) is the perfect one-dish meal anytime but especially if you don’t feel like cooking or need that something to hit the spot! Because I have been eating this from when I was in high school, this dish always brings back so many memories for me.

This dish 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 that you should definitely 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.

What is Kimchi Fried Rice and what does it taste like?

Kimchi Fried Rice is Korean fried rice that’s made by sauteeing sour over-ripened cabbage kimchi with leftover cold rice in oil. Sometimes it is seasoned by the addition of gochujang (and I usually do it) but it’s is not a must. Especially if your kimchi is already spicy and salty. Some Kimchis are milder and some are seasoned more aggressively so it’s all a personal taste.

This fried rice is a fabulous mix of sour, funky, umami, spicy, rich savory and salty flavor. The bits of kimchi gives it a punch of sour, spicy and funky taste while the egg and pork break up the intense flavor with savory richness. Texture-wise, the kimchi also gives a contrasting slightly crunchy texture and if you made the bottom burnt they you will even have a  bit of crunchy every now and then. It’s one of those dishes that makes you go back for more and more.

Chef’s Tips

• Don’t make it SOGGY – So many people make the mistake of adding too much kimchi liquid and having the rice get too wet which makes it 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 make it more dry which won’t stick together as much.
• Use mature Kimchi – Kimchi should be at least couple weeks old for it to taste good when cooked. If you don’t have well-ripened mature 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 making the most perfect kimchi bokkeumbap is to let some of the rice burn in the pan. There’s nothing better than burnt rice!! So, after it’s all cooked, let it sit in the pan on medium-low heat for few minutes until they become nicely brown and 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 it extra rich and unctuous!
• 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

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

1. Cut cabbage kimchi into bite-size strips.

   

2. 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).
3. If you want to add eggs, my favorite way is to scramble them first.  Just add little oil (1 tsp) and an egg to pan, break it up and cook until they are done. Set aside.
4. 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 cabbage becomes soft and a slightly translucent. Omit gochujang or use less amount to make it less spicy.
5. Turn heat to low and add rice to pan. Break up rice with your hands (if rice is cold out of the fridge and it’s one big lump) or press it down with a spatula or spoon to mix it in.

   

6. Once kimchi and rice are all mixed in, add the scrambled egg. Taste and add more rice if it’s too salty or spicy. Be sure to add a bit more oil if you do.
7. 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.

   

8. 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!!!

Serving Suggestions

It is totally good as a one-dish meal, you really don’t need anything else. But you can serve with some mild soups like Kongnamul Guk, or Bugeo Guk to balance out the spiciness and saltiness.

Variations

Kimchi Fried Rice can be made just simply with just kimchi and rice. But you can make your own favorite variation by adding different kinds of protein. Or just add a fried egg on top!

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

Also, 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 Bokkeumbap with Pork) here it is!

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Happy Eating!

XOXO ❤️

JinJoo