Kimchi Fried Rice

I must say that I never thought that this combination will be as delicious as I it was. I was made curious of kimchi by my boyfriend that kept telling me that kimchi is this amazing burst of flavour that he ate like crazy when he was in Japan. Well, unfortunately I haven’t visited Japan or Korea yet – kimchi is korean specific – so I did not know the taste or how to make it myself.

Although I really want to gather all the necessary ingredients and make it myself, at this point I keep looking for gochugaru and it is out of stock on every store I usually buy Asian goods from. I tried this recipe first with canned kimchi, so you may do so as well. It is a very easy recipe, it is fast, which is great if you don’t have too much time, and the taste is incredible.

You only need a few ingredients for this: boiled rice – you want to have rice that was boiled the day before, this way, the rice is slightly dryer, which makes it perfect for fried rice. I also like to add mushrooms to this, shiitake and wood ear are my favorite combination for it. I like adding a bit of scallion as a garnish and a nice fried egg on top, runny, but with a crispy bottom.

So, let’s make this, shall we?

Ingredients:

• 6 shiitake mushrooms
• 5 wood ear mushrooms
• 1 kimchi can – 165g , 125g net
• 1 scallion
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp neutral tasting cooking oil
• a pinch of salt
• 200g boiled rice
• 2 eggs

This will make two portions. Prep time: 30 mins. Total time: 45 mins.

1. Now you may ask why do we need 30 mins prep if this is so quick? Well, we have to hydrate the mushrooms and let them steep for a little while. For shiitake, I find that they have to stay at least 20 mins in the water. So, bring some water to a boil and pour it on the mushrooms. I put each type in a bowl, pour the water to cover them up (for wood ear make sure to add quite a bit, they will be quite big once re-hydrated). Let them steep for 20-30 mins or until soft.
2. Drain the kimchi, but keep the liquid. If the chunks are too big, cut them up.
3. Thinly slice the scallion.
4. Once hydrated, chop up the mushrooms in small pieces.
5. Now it’s time to get cooking! Add the oil in a wok, on medium heat, and once the oil is hot, put the kimchi and sauté it for two minutes.
6. Add the mushrooms and sauté them for 2-3 mins as well.
7. Add the rice, and mix it up with the mushrooms and kimchi. Keep stirring continuously.
8. Add the kimchi liquid, stir, stir, stir.
9. Add the soy sauce, stir, stir, mix.
10. Taste, and add salt if you think it needs it.
11. Add the scallions, but keep some of the green bits for garnish.
12. Keep it on the heat until all the liquids are absorbed, and you are done with the rice.
13. Fry an egg, just the way you like it. My favorite is soft and creamy with a crispy bottom.

There you have it, Kimchi Fried Rice. It is easy, fast (if you don’t consider the wait time for the mushrooms), it’s spicy, flavourful and perfect for lunch or dinner. We love it, and make it each time we have some kimchi on hand.

Hope you try this recipe, and if you do, let me know if you liked it. Also, you can find me on instagram with some quick and easy recipes, so make sure to follow me there as well @betterthansalads_