Gochujang Fried Rice.
That tub of gochujang you have sitting in the back of your refrigerator – grab that!
(Currently, we're using Jook Jang Yeon's Premium Gochujang - it has an amazing flavor)
Today... we’re making Gochujang Fried Rice!
Let me start off by saying - that this fried rice is surprisingly good.
What's surprising is the simplicity of the dish – all you need is gochujang paste and 1 onion.
Note: I did add steak to make it more filling, but you can skip it or substitute it with another protein.
Gochujang is Korean Chili Pepper Paste.
Typically, when gochujang is used in Korean dishes, it's balanced with sugar, honey or oligodang syrup.
In this recipe, we’ll skip all of them. And simply use the natural sweetness of onions.
The combination of stir-fried onions with gochujang is incredible – balanced, not too spicy, just right!
As garnish, I highly recommend spreading on some balsamic glaze (don't confuse this with balsamic dressing sauce!).
The acidity from the balsamic glaze cuts through the spice and adds another layer of flavor!
Mind-blown - heh!
Cooking notes for Gochujang Fried Rice.
Pat-off any moisture or residual liquid from your steak – by wrapping it in a few paper towels. This will help to reduce any gamey smell in the meat.
When sautéing the onions, keep the heat on a medium-low – so the pieces don’t burn.
You might also need to add a few more splashes of olive oil while you sauté – do so if your pan starts to get dry.
Sauté until the onion pieces turn translucent and get a golden color to them.
After you mix the gochujang into the rice, give it a taste!
If it tastes slightly bland, add in a few pinches of salt.
If you want more flavor, more kick - add in ½ Tablespoon more of the gochujang paste.
Now, don't forget the ½ Tablespoon of Sesame Oil at the end - it will bring all the flavors together.
As mentioned, don't feel obliged to add meat. Not mandatory.
Also, feel free to add in veggies that you like. Or keep it minimal like us 😉
Bon Appetit ya’ll – and I hope you enjoy this gochujang fried rice.
If you like it and want to try another gochujang recipe, try gochujang jjigae!
Neighbors - one thing.
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Ingredients
- 300 grams Strip Steak (or any steak cut)
- 1 whole Onion
Steak Marinade
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- Few Big Pinches Salt
- Few cracks Black Pepper
- Few shakes Dried Parsley (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon Mirin
Fried Rice Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (For sautéing onions)
- 1.5 Tablespoons Gochujang Paste
- ½ Tablespoon Sesame Oil
Optional: Balsamic Glaze
- Few drizzles Balsamic Glaze (Not Balsamic Dressing Sauce! )
Instructions
Prep Beef & Onion
- Pat-down beef in a few paper towels - remove any moisture from the meat pieces.
- Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Place into a mixing bowl. Marinate it with: Olive Oil (1 Tablespoon), Salt (few big pinches), Black Pepper (few big pinches), Mirin (1 Tablespoon), Dried Parsley (few shakes - optional).
- Cut 1 whole onion into half pieces. Then finely dice each half into small pieces.
Make Fried Rice
- Place frying pan on medium-low heat. Put in 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil. Once its hot, place in the chopped onions.
- Stir-fry around the onions around until they turn translucent and it starts to turn golden - you'll smell the sweet smell of onion in the air. (Note: If the frying pan gets dry while you sauté, feel free to add in a few dashes more of the olive oil)
- Once the onions start to slightly brown, add in 3 cups of cooked rice to the onions. Then add-in 1.5 Tablespoons of Gochujang.
- Then thoroughly stir the rice and mix the gochujang paste into it - this may take a few minutes. (Check that the heat is at medium-low so you don't burn.)
- [Note: If you're rice needs a little bit more gochujang - like us in the video - add in a ½ Tablespoon more]
- Once the rice gets an even color, turn off the heat and place the frying pan to the side.
Pan-fry steak
- Place a second frying pan on high heat. Once its hot, place-on the steak pieces.
- Cook until you lose the red in the meat. Then turn off the heat - and set aside. Now back to the other frying pan.
Finish Fried Rice
- Now, place the frying pan with the fried rice back on high heat.
- Once its hot, add the steak pieces into the gochujang rice and get it well mixed in.
- Now, give the rice a taste... and feel free to add-in a few pinches of salt (if slightly bland) and another ½ Tablespoon Gochujang (if you want more spice). It's up to you! We added in both.
- Then finish the rice with ½ Tablespoon of Sesame Oil.
Optional: Drizzle on Balsamic Glaze
- Drizzle some balsamic glaze over the gochujang fried rice.
- Bon Appetit!
JC says
Thanks Daniel, can’t wait to try this recipe! Adding an egg and garnishing with green onion or toasted sesame seeds sound good too 🙂
Unknown says
Hi! I’d like to try the recipe, but I was wondering how much this recipe serves for..? Thank you!
Hannah Dennis says
This turned out absolutely fantastic! We did end up adding some more gochujang as well as an egg into the fried rice. The directions were so simple to follow and I didn't have to buy anything extra.
Thanks!
Benjamin Arizmendi-Calvert says
This will be in rotation a lot! I swapped mushrooms for the steak in a pinch and it worked out real nice!