Best Kimchi Fried Rice - this is that go-to fried rice recipe you've been looking for!
It’s the best way to use up that remaining head of Kimchi that’s been sitting – all lonely - in your refrigerator.
Today, we’ll chop it up, give it some love and mix it with any leftover veggies or meat. Then hit it with some Gochugaru and Soy Sauce for the best kimchi fried rice.
This past weekend, I saw Katie fumbling around with our previous Kimchi Fried Rice recipe. (Shake my head…🙈) She ended up using Tablespoon instead of teaspoon for Soy Sauce – and the flavor came out strange 🙃
So I thought it was a great opportunity to make Version II – make it simple, hearty and FAIL-PROOF!
In this version, we used Polish Sausages. But feel free to substitute with Bratwurst or any other types of sausage. If sausage ain’t your thing, go for bacon (pork just works so well with Kimchi).
The key flavor variable is of course, the kimchi! You want to use Kimchi that has aged for at least a few weeks – when it develops a sour flavor.
Note: Most store-bought kimchi will have had enough time to ferment in the package and can be used right away.
(Note: For those who don’t live near a Korean mart, try using Canned Kimchi. The ripeness of Canned Kimchi and its leftover Kimchi juice is perfect for fried rice!)
Notes for The Best Kimchi Fried Recipe:
Measure around 1 full cup of Kimchi! Then chop it with scissors directly in a measurement cup (or a glass bowl). Chopping Kimchi on a wooden cutting board will stain it – and it’s very cumbersome to wash off!
Unlike Chinese Fried Rice, you don’t need to stir-fry this at ultra-hot temperatures. Keep it on a MEDIUM heat – this will prevent the soy sauce from burning in later steps!
Make sure to add a teaspoon (or 1.5 teaspoons) of gochugaru to get that red color for Kimchi Fried Rice!
And of course, top off everything with a fried egg!
Bon Appetit ya’ll – you’re going to enjoy this very much! If you make it, snap us a pic on IG – we enjoy flipping through your dishes in the morning.
-Daniel out 🕺
Ingredients
Key Ingredients
- 1 cup Cooked Rice
- 1 cup Kimchi (¾ cup is okay too!)
- 1 stalk Spring Onion
- 10 cm of Polish Sausage (~4 inches)
- ¼ whole Onion
- 3 spoonfuls Sweet Corn (Optional)
Stir-Fry Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon (!) Sugar
- ½ Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- A splash of Water (For the last step, before adding rice)
- A drizzle of Sesame Oil (for garnish)
- Few pinches Salt (add to taste - if needed)
Garnish
- 1 Fried Egg
- Few pinches Sesame Seeds (optional)
- Few pinches Laver Flakes (optional)
Instructions
Prep Ingredients
- Measure 1 cup of cooked rice - set it aside.
- Measure 1 cup of Kimchi. Chop it up into small bite-size pieces with kitchen scissors -directly in the measurement cup (or in a glass bowl).
- Cut 1 stalk of Spring Onion into small pieces. Then dice ¼ of an Onion into bite-sized pieces. Cut Sausage (4 cm) into small skinny rounds.
- Set aside 3 Tablespoons of Sweet Corn (optional ingredient)
Make Fried Rice
- Place vegetable oil into a frying pan or wok (~2 Tablespoons). Place it on a MEDIUM heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the Spring Onion pieces.
- When the Spring Onion pieces start to sizzle in the oil, add in the sausage slices. Stir-fry the sausages until they start to crisp up on one side. Then add in the onion pieces.
- Next, add in Sugar (1 teaspoon!). Stir-fry eveything for 10-15 seconds.
- Now, we'll add Soy Sauce (½ Tablespoon) around the frying pan. Give a few seconds for the soy sauce to sizzle in that oil - for a deeper flavor. Then stir-fry everything together for 10-15 seconds.
- Now add-in the chopped Kimchi (1 cup). As well as the Sweet Corn (optional). Stir-fry all the ingredients together for 10-15 seconds.
- Then add-in the Gochugaru (add 1 teaspoon! - but you can add 1.5 teaspoons! for a deeper red color)
- Stir-fry everything together. You'll notice that there is very liquid left in the frying pan. If so, add in a small splash of leftover Kimchi Juice (or Water). This will make the stir-fry slightly wet for our rice to be mixed in.
- Add in 1 cup of cooked rice. Use a spatula (or soup ladle) and break the rice in with the ingredients. Once its evenly mixed in, give it a taste - if it taste slightly bland, season the rice with a few shakes of salt (if needed). Now, turn off the heat and drizzle on a small splash of Sesame Oil.
- Plate and garnish with a fried egg. Plus some dried laver flakes on the side (optional). Top off the dish with a few shakes of sesame seeds!
- Bon Appetit Ya'll!
Otto says
I reference this every time I make fried rice. It's sooo delicious. I use spam instead of sausage
Jason says
Simple yet delicious, older kimchi for sure to get that slightly sour flavor.
Ernst-Udo Peters says
I know that you mention it in the video but I would also include in the printed recipe that the Polish sausage is Kielbasa. I think the next time I might try some Chinese sausage because it is a bit sweeter than Kielbasa
I used coarse Gochugaru for the seasoning for the second time that I cooked this dish. Since I had only a 1/2 cup of Kimchi left, I added a 1/2 cup of pickled radish. It turned out alright although not as good as your original recipe.
Jen says
Excellent! Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Joy says
This kimchi fried rice is fantastic! Have some kimchi that is ok but better in this fried rice rather than a banchan. Easy to add in leftovers from your refrigerator. I used Spam and had some leftover white mushrooms that I cut up. Yummy! Can't wait to make it again!