This simple, simple dish is super, super tasty. It’s just a few ingredients, but it’s a dish much loved by Koreans and a staple of our everyday lives.
This version is simple, but you can dress it up with a bit of beef, chicken, pork, ham, or even spam. Many Koreans also like to put a fried egg on top, but my family prefers this simple version that I’m showing you here. 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!
A lot of people say making fried rice is best with leftover rice straight from the fridge, or just day-old rice, but I’ve never really tasted the difference in flavor, taste, or texture. I use fresh rice all the time. I just let it cool down a bit before I stir fry, and my kimchi bokkeumbap is always delicious. It’s the best fried rice I have ever tasted, much better than the kimchi-bokkeumbap at a Korean restaurant.
Ingredients
- 3 bowls steamed rice (3 cups)
- 1 cup chopped kimchi (should be aged, well-fermented and sour)
- ¼ cup kimchi juice (spicy red juice from a jar of kimchi)
- 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 gim, roasted and shredded into seaweed strips
Directions
- Heat up a wide, flat pan or skillet. Add the vegetable oil.
- Add the kimchi and stir fry for 1 minute over medium-high heat.
- Add rice, kimchi juice, water, and gochujang. Stir all the ingredients together for about 7 minutes with a wooden spoon.
- Add sesame oil and remove from the heat.
- Garnish with sprinkled chopped green onion, roasted gim, and sesame seeds. Serve right away.
Thanks so much foe this quick and easy, yet delicious recipe. I like how simple everything is. I didn’t have green onion or seaweed but I made it work. I used 2 cups of rice because that’s what’s available but still used 3tbps of gochujang. I love how spicy it is! I added fried eggs on top.
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I make this spicy kimchi bokkeumbap all the time! Yours looks so good, too!
Hi maangchi!
Recently I made the kimchi fried rice recipe and it turned out very light in color and not a lot of taste and I really feel I did something wrong. Because it was light in color but really spicy I think I added too much chili paste but not sure if I let my kimchi ferment long enough. The kimchi was fresher, maybe one week. Should I let it ferment longer next time?
Thank you for your recipes and any help!!❤️
Kimchi fried rice usually tastes more flavorful when it is heavily fermented!
Hi Maangchi
Have been following your recipes regularly to make Korean dishes.
Today I made kimchi fried rice with homemade kimchi following your recipes for making the kimchi earlier and the fried rice today.
Tasted delicious.Ate it with pickled beetroot and a friend egg.
Thanks Maangchi.
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It looks colorful, healthful, and delicious!
My mom always liked to have a batch of fresh kimchi to eat with rice, and a batch of older fermented kimchi that we saved for kimchijjigae, kimchi pancakes, fried rice, etc – when it’s fermented it gives so much more flavor!
Made this with my homemade kimchi today. It was wonderful. Very satisfying lunch on a cold day.
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Delicious and nutritious!