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.
I just made this recipe after not knowing what to do with the kimchi I bought…I think my dad was getting upset that I haven’t touched it much since I bought it. It turned out great! As a young 14 year old, this was definitely a quick and awesome recipe on a school night. Your recipes have definitely been helping me with learning how to make Korean food :)
I’m glad you like this recipe. This is my family’s favorite recipe, too.
Maanchi, seriously you have started my journey on discovering Korean food. It looks great and I will keep you posted on my progress. Anyone watching you can tell you are passionate about your cooking. When you taste your food it looks to me like its really really delish!. It doesn’t hurt that you are so cute as well. Please come by when you are in Toronto. We have a very large Korean community here and I can find all these ingredients easily…..thanks for teaching me how to start cooking Korean.
Great! Good luck with your Korean cooking.
This is really excellent as written. Thanks! Also, I made it for breakfast by keeping everything the same except, instead of rice, I used old-fashioned oatmeal (but no need to fry it, just add the other ingredients to the cooked oatmeal), and topped it with a soft-cooked fried egg. Sounds weird, and maybe it is, but it is really, really good. (I have a nice picture but I don’t know how to attach it.)
It sounds good and creative! Thank you for the tip.
maangchi i made this three times but the texture always comes out very mushy after i add the kimchi juice i cant even add water is there a way to solve this?
Add less kimchi juice to your taste. Good luck!
Hi! I learned from my mom that the key to making good fried rice is to use rice that is cooked the night before. This way the fried rice will be fluffy and not mushy. Hope this helps!
Great recipe. Paired it with some bulgogi marinated chicken thighs I barbecued. Perfect!
Hi Maangchi,
Was inspired when you said you made ‘upgraded’ version using meats or vegetables!
I ran out of kimchi so I chopped up chonggak kimchi and used the chonggak kimchi juice and threw in leftover soy sauce beef.
It was EXCELLENT!!
Thank you, Maangchi!
Great! You made chonggak kimchibokkeumbap! : ) https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/ponytail-kimchi
Ah, this recipe was really good! It came out perfectly for me ^^
I added a fried egg too because I really like that. Also, I love spicy food, but I can’t handle it very well so I added a bit of mayonnaise. I’m not sure if it goes with it right, but it tasted really good!
Thank you for the great recipe! So so good.
I love your modification to this recipe! Good luck with your Korean cooking!
Hi maangchi!
Will adding a couple cloves of garlic improve the flavour profile? Or are they completely unnecessary?
Cooking my first Korean meal for my family this weekend!
Thanks so much for your help, glad I found your recipes :)
“Will adding a couple cloves of garlic improve the flavour profile?” I usually don’t add garlic when I make kimchi bokkeumbap, but if you want, go ahead, why not!
Happy cooking!
Hello from Singapore! i only have store-bought kimchi and there isnt much juice in it! What can i substitute it with? I have been addicted to korean food and so thankful that i found your youtube channel! Gonna try cooking more korean food at hm =D
You can add a little bit water then. Yum! : )
Hi Maangchi!
Thanks for another delicious recipe :-) My question is: do we only use the kimchi leaves or do we also use the kimchi filling (chives, radish, green onions…)?
yes, use all of them.
Hi, Maangchi! :) This is one of my favorite meals! It’s delicious , easy and quick! all most simply brilliant !
yey! thanks for your link to original bulgogi recipe Maangchi! =D I can’t wait to try the pear onion puree bugolgi version too! bet it’s bulks of delicious. words can’t describe how awesome your recipes are ^^
oh~ thank you so much for your nice message!
Hi Maangchi, thank you for all your awesome recipes and videos! I’ve used your easier version of bulgolgi marinade and the beef came out delicious! You mentioned in your present bbq bulgolgi recipe with video that you had a simpler version from years ago without video and that simple bulgolgi version was originally posted together with this kimchi rice. That simpler bulgolgi marinade doesn’t have pear onion puree in it. I’m interested in switching back and fourth between your present version and simple version bulgolgi marinade that doesn’t have purée in it. Can you please share the simple version again to refer back to? Thank you in advance I am fan and follower and bit anxious it moved actually if any of your wonderful recipes weren’t here thank you Maangchi! =D
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your interest in my recipes and nice words. The original recipe for bulgogi is now here:
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/easy-bulgogi
Hope you enjoy both recipes!
This looks so good! When I’ve made Chinese versions of fried rice it always called for leftover rice so it didn’t clump. Do you need leftover cold rice or hot rice to make this recipe?
Either one is fine. I like freshly made rice, though.
hi Maanchi, im from Mongolia
today i found your blog and im so apreciate now, cant stop watching your videos,,,,,
i just love Korean foods and i want taste your foods with you so badly :-p
anyways, thanks for your recipe, i will make it when im in my hometown because right niw here in taiwan its so difficult to find ingrediants, so need to wait,,,,,,
love you!!!!!!!!!