Kimchi Fried Rice (vegetarian)
This is one of my favorite Korean recipe: Kimchi Fried Rice (vegetarian). This is a super simple recipe, full of flavor and ideal for using up leftover rice or kimchi.
What is kimchi?
Kimchi is a flagship dish of Korean cuisine! Kimchi refers to fermenting vegetables with chili, spices and brine, which is a mixture of water and salt. This technique allows to preserve vegetables for several weeks thanks to the lacto-fermentation.
In Europe, we mostly know kimchi made with napa cabbage and that’s what I use for this recipe. Many vegetables are also suitable for kimchi such as radish, celery, carrots or cucumber.
Like any fermented product, the taste of kimchi varies with time. If you are still a little shy with fermented flavors, I suggest you consume the kimchi at its early stage. Kimchi fried rice is a dish that is traditionally prepared in Korea when the kimchi starts to get old.
The essential ingredients of the recipe
To make this recipe, there are a few ingredients that are essential and will make this recipe authentic:
- Rice: This recipe works with any type of rice but to stay authentic you need short grain rice like the one used in Korea.
- Kimchi: Choose a napa cabbage kimchi. You can find kimchi in Asian grocery stores. For the most motivated, it is possible to make your own kimchi. Be careful with this recipe not to throw away the juice in which the kimchi is fermented because it is also part of the recipe.
- Gochujang: Gochujang is a spicy soybean paste typical of Korean cuisine. It is very easy to use and can be kept for several months after opening in the refrigerator. Buy on Amazon.com
- Enoki mushrooms: Enoki mushrooms are not essential to this recipe, but they add an authentic consistency to this dish and prevent the rice from being too dry. If you can’t find any, you can replace them with grated carrots.
Find the complete list of ingredients below.
Recipe for Kimchi Fried Rice (vegetarian)
For 2 servings you need the following ingredients.
Ingredients
- 400 g cooked short grain rice, or about 130 g raw
- 200 g kimchi
- 3 spring onions
- 1 package of enoki mushrooms, 200 g
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of gochujang
- 60 ml kimchi juice
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- 1 nori leaf, cut into strips
- 2 eggs
- Neutral oil, sunflower or rice oil
- Sesame seeds (decoration)
- Soy sauce (optional)
- Rice vinegar (optional)
See my explanation of the ingredients of this recipe above.
Preparation
If necessary, cook the rice as directed on the package
Separate the white part of the spring onions from the green part. Slice the white part and the green part finely. This one will be used as decoration.
In a hot pan or wok, heat a drizzle of neutral oil. Add the kimchi and sauté for 1 minute. Then add the white part of the spring onions and the enoki mushrooms. Detach them well and fry for 2 minutes.
Then pour in the cooked rice, gochujang and kimchi juice. Mix the rice well with the sauce and let it cook without stirring for 3-5 minutes.
Then stir again and repeat this action until the rice is slightly sticky and crispy in some areas. Then add the sesame oil.
While the rice is cooking, fry your eggs.
Garnish the fried rice with spring onions, sesame seeds and nori leaves.
Serve on a plate with a fried egg. You can then adjust the seasoning by adding a little soy sauce and/or rice vinegar.
Pictures
Find the steps of the recipe in pictures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this recipe very spicy?
This recipe is slightly spicy in nature. You can adjust the amount of spicyness by reducing the amount of gochujang and kimchi juice. In this case, add a little more sesame oil and possibly a little soy sauce and rice vinegar to enhance the taste.
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
Although kimchi fried rice is best when freshly prepared, it is perfectly fine to prepare it ahead of time and heat it up in a pan or in the microwave. The egg on the other hand must be prepared at the last minute.
Can I freeze this recipe?
You can also freeze kimchi fried rice. In this case, do not add the egg, the green spring onions or the nori leaf because they will not stand up to freezing.
Can I make a vegan version?
Yes, without the egg this recipe is completely vegan!
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Kimchi Fried Rice (vegetarian)
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Ingredients
- 400 g cooked short grain rice or about 130 g raw
- 200 g kimchi
- 3 spring onions
- 1 package of enoki mushrooms 200 g
- 60 ml kimchi juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of gochujang
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- 1 nori leaf cut into strips
- 2 eggs
- Neutral oil sunflower or rice oil
- Sesame seeds decoration
- Soy sauce optional
- Rice vinegar optional
Instructions
- If necessary, cook the rice as directed on the package
- Separate the white part of the spring onions from the green part. Slice the white part and the green part finely. This one will be used as decoration.
- In a hot pan or wok, heat a drizzle of neutral oil. Add the kimchi and sauté for 1 minute. Then add the white part of the spring onions and the enoki mushrooms. Detach them well and fry for 2 minutes.
- Then pour in the cooked rice, gochujang and kimchi juice. Mix the rice well with the sauce and let it cook without stirring for 3-5 minutes.
- Then stir again and repeat this action until the rice is slightly sticky and crispy in some areas. Then add the sesame oil.
- While the rice is cooking, fry your eggs.
- Garnish the fried rice with spring onions, sesame seeds and nori leaves.
- Serve on a plate with a fried egg. You can then adjust the seasoning by adding a little soy sauce and/or rice vinegar.
