Kimchi fried rice

This simple, simple dish is super, super tasty. It’s just a few ingredients, but it’s a dish much loved by Koreans.

This version is simple, but you can dress it up with a bit of beef or pork. I posted a version of this recipe a few years ago that included the leftover sauce and drippings from a simple version of bulgogi, but the recipe was without a video. Eventually I made a video for more traditional bulgogi, and now I made a video for kimchi bokkeumbap too.

Many Koreans also like to put a fried egg on top, but my family prefers this simple version. When my son lived in the school dorm, visits with him were rare. I talked to him on the phone before he came and I asked:

“What food do you miss the most? I’ll make it for you when you come.”

I figured I would need some time to prepare and shop ahead of time, but he answered: “I miss kimchi bokkeumbap.”

“What? That’s it? Is there anything else?”

“Just kimchi bokkeumbap, Mom.”

As you see in this video, you don’t need to prepare much in advance for kimchi bokkeumbap if you have kimchi and rice on hand. So of course I made it for him, along with grilled beef and lots of high protein food. As soon as he came home, I was ready to stir fry. He loved it!

Ingredients

• 3 bowls steamed rice (3 cups)
• 1 cup chopped kimchi
• ¼ cup kimchi juice
• ¼ cup water
• 2-3 tablespoons gochujang
• 3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 1 sheet of kim, roasted and shredded

Directions

1. Heat up a pan. Add the vegetable oil.
2. Add the kimchi and stir fry for 1 minute.
3. Add rice, kimchi juice, water, and gochujang. Stir all the ingredients together for about 7 minutes with a wooden spoon.
4. Add sesame oil and remove from the heat.
5. Sprinkle with chopped green onion, roasted gim, and sesame seeds. Serve right away.