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Rice

Dakgalbi Fried Rice – That Fried Rice Served at K-BBQ!

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Dakgalbi Fried Rice. Korean BBQ has gained world recognition – especially the most famous cuts like lateral strips of pork belly (Samgyeopsal) or slices of beef (Chadolbaegi). In Korea, there is another variation involving chicken called Dakgalbi. Dakgalbi is a spicy-stir fried chicken dish that’s typically cooked in front of you on a large round hot plate. The chicken is marinated in a gochujang-based sauce, and cooked with fresh perilla leaves, cabbage, scallions and rice cakes (recipe here). Towards the end of the meal, these dakgalbi restaurants will use the leftover pieces of chicken on your grill and use it to make a delicious stir-fried rice. I think it’s hands-down, the best fried rice ever! Today, I wanted to show you how to make it at home as the main meal!

Dakgalbi Fried Rice

In the video, I used chicken breast as I had alot leftover from our recent chicken buldak recipe. But we recommend using chicken thigh (with skin-on) to impart even more flavor into the rice.

Cooking notes:

  • This recipe is for a 1-person serving. To make for 2-people, double all ingredients (including the sauce)
  • Make sure to add some roasted, salted laver to the top – provides the perfect seasoning!
  • Some restaurants also add cheese to the rice – makes it even more savory!

Hope you enjoy it Neighbors! Keep this recipe bookmarked so you can have an alternative to the regular Chinese Fried Rice!

Dan-yup signing off! 🕺

Dakgalbi Fried Rice
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Dakgalbi Fried Rice

Ingredients

Dakgalbi Fried Rice

  • 1 cup Cooked Rice
  • 1 whole Chicken Breast
  • 1/4 whole Onion
  • 1 stalk Spring Onion
  • 1/3 cup Kimchi
  • A handful Gim (Laver)

Fried Rice Marinade

  • 1 Tablespoon Gochujang
  • 1 Tablespoon Gochugaru
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Mirim
  • 1 teaspoon (!) Sesame Oil
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 3-4 cracks Black Pepper
  • 2 pinches Salt

Instructions

Prep Ingredients

  • Dice the chicken breast (or thigh) into small bite-sized pieces.
  • Dice the onion into small pieces. Cut spring onion into thin slices. And measure 1/3 cup of Kimchi. Cut the Kimchi into small pieces with a pair of scissors.
  • Make Fried Rice Marinade: Mix Gochujang (1 Tablespoon), Gochugaru (1 Tablespoon), Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon), Sugar (1 Tablespoon), Mirim (1 Tablespoon), Sesame Oil (1 teaspoon!), Mince 2 cloves of garlic, Black Pepper (3-4 cracks) and Salt (2 Pinches).

Make Fried Rice

  • Take out a frying pan (or skillet). Place on MEDIUM heat. Place vegetable oil in. Once its hot, drop in the spring onion pieces. Stir-fry around until you can smell the spring onion in the air.
  • Then add in the chicken pieces. Let it cook until you get some browning on one side. Then add in the diced onion and kimchi. Stir-fry everything together until the chicken is cooked 80% through.
  • Next, add in about 50% of the spicy marinade. Stir-fry it all for around 30 seconds.
  • Now, add-in the cooked rice. Make sure to add more sauce too (you can add it all in!). Then stir-fry until the rice is evenly coated. (Optional: At the point, you can sprinkle on some shredded cheese too!)
  • Then use a wooden spoon or spatula and flatten out the rice on the frying pan. Let it cook for a 15-20 more seconds. Then turn off the heat.
  • Garnish with dried laver flakes (gim). Bon Appetit!

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Sweet Potato & Bacon Steamed Rice

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Sweet Potato & Bacon Steamed Rice. My mother has been visiting Korea for a month and is currently staying with me. One thing she can not stand is dirty things! My, oh my – she looked at our kitchen and immediately started cleaning. Our precious Cuckoo Rice Cooker caught her eye. It had grease spots all over it and she immediately took it to the sink to scrub it down. But the Cuckoo resisted! So she went the “nuclear” option and took it to the bathroom! There, with an old tooth brush and shower facuet in hand, she closed the door! 10 minutes later, she claimed victory! With achievement in her voice, she said “Now, this is how a rice cooker should look like – you need to be clean and organized to do big things in life […]” Slightly annoyed and thankful at the same time, I plugged the pristine rice cooker back in. Immediately, the rice cooker display showed an error sign, followed by a faint smell of burnt electronics… 🤯(My, oh my … haha!)

Without a rice cooker, we resorted to using a Ttukbaegi pot for morning rice! I was surprised by how fast it cooked rice – it only took 15 minutes and the rice tasted perfect! One morning, I decided to throw in some frozen peas. It tasted great. So the following day, I threw-in sweet-potatoes. Soon enough, I was adding-in bacon and Shiitake mushrooms. And this is how this recipe came about! Funny how things turn out sometimes…

I’ll leave with a few cooking notes:

  • For this recipe, make sure to use short-grain rice (aka sushi rice). You want that stickiness of short-grain rice so that all of the ingredients clump together.
  • You can cook this rice without a Ttukbaegi Pot. Simply use a small thick-bottomed pot with a proper-fitting lid.
  • I purposely didn’t season the rice – but if you want a richer flavor, drop-in a small dab of butter and a drizzle of soy sauce before you eat.
  • It’s important to let the rice steam at the end. After you take it off the heat, don’t open the lid – all of the heat will escape.
  • Feel free to substitute any of the ingredients with your veggie(s) of choice.

Alright, I hope you give this simple breakfast idea a try. It’s versatile and works well as a nutritious breakfast!

If you don’t have a Ttukbaegi pot, consider getting one! Must-have cooking ware if you’re a busy-bee 🐝

-Daniel out! 🕺

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Sweet Potato & Bacon Steamed Rice

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Korean Rice (Short-grain rice)
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1-2 slices Bacon
  • Few slices Sweet Potato
  • 1 Shiitake Mushroom
  • Handful of Frozen Peas
  • Handful of Frozen Green Beans

Instructions

Prep Ingredients

  • Measure 1 cup of rice. Wash and rinse the rice a few times. Drain it through a strainer and place it aside.
  • Cut the bacon, shiitake mushroom and sweet-potato into thin slices. Then scoop out a small handful of frozen peas and green beans. Set them aside.

Cook Rice

  • Place Ttukbaegi Pot (or a thick-bottomed pot) on medium-high heat. Add-in the bacon. Stir it around until the bacon gets a slight browning on the edges. Then add-in the frozen green beans. Stir-fry everything around for 1 minute. Then important - TURN OFF THE HEAT! (We don't want the Ttukbaegi pot to get too hot - or else it could crack when adding in cold water). Afterwards, add-in the washed rice (1 cup). Then add in warm water (1 cup).
  • Next, add your toppings to the rice: place the thinly sliced sweet potatoes, shiitake mushroom and bacon on top of the rice. Turn the heat back onto a HIGH heat. Put the lid on and wait until it comes up to boil. Once it's boiling, set a timer for 3 minutes.
  • After 3 minutes, reduce the heat to a LOW. Then set a timer for 10 minutes and let it cook.
  • After 10 minutes, take the pot off the heat and place it on a coaster. Give it 2-3 minutes to steam by itself in its residual heat.
  • It's ready to eat. Serve into individual bowls and enjoy! (Optional: You can add a dab of butter and a drizzle of soy sauce if you want to season the rice)

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Soju Steamed Clams & Shrimp Fried Rice

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Soju Steamed Clams… and shrimp fried rice! This past weekend, we stumbled across a new Chinese restaurant that opened in our neighborhood (near Sharosugil). We weren’t in the mood for Chinese, but the ambiance was too nice. We saw people out on the patio – lounging out in the sun – sipping on beers and slurping up clam shells. We couldn’t help ourselves – had to try too 🤷‍♂️🙋‍♂️

Soju Steamed Clams

Their hit-menu items were (1) Soju Steamed Clams and (2) Shrimp Fried Rice. We were tempted to order a plate of fried dumplings on the side – but resisted due to the fact of an ongoing “diet” (lol). The two dishes paired wonderfully and better yet, was light on the stomach. We loved it so much we went back the next night. I took a few mental notes of the ingredients and re-created it at home. Here it is nei’bors:

Shrimp-Fried-Rice

Soju Steamed Clams
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Soju Steamed Clams & Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients

Soju Clams

  • 1 kg Manila Clams (Bajirak, 바지락)
  • 1 Tablespoon of Kosher Salt (for purging clams)
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 3 Dried Red Chili Peppers (Thai Bird's Eye Chili)
  • 2 Tablespoons of Butter
  • Few shakes of Black Pepper
  • 1 cup of Soju (White Wine ok too)
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 stalk of Spring Onion garnish

Shrimp Fried Rice

  • 2 stalks of Spring Onion (length of your forearm)
  • 3 Eggs
  • 2 inches of Carrot
  • 5-6 Shrimp
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 2 cups of Rice
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

Instructions

Soju Steamed Clams

  • You want to purge the clams: Place the clams in a large mixing bowl. Pour-in enough cold water to submerge the clams. Then sprinkle some kosher salt (1T) into the water. Cover the mixing bowl with aluminum foil or a lid. (They will purge better in darkness). Set aside for at least 1 hour.
  • In the meanwhile, slice garlic cloves into thin slices. Crumble the dried red chili pepper into small pieces. And dice the spring onion into very thin slices.
  • After 1 hour, drain-out the water from the clams. Give one final wash and set aside in a strainer.
  • Take out a large pot or wok. Place it on a medium-high heat. Drop in some butter (2 Tablespoons). When butter starts to sizzle, add in the garlic pieces and chili flakes. Stir it around for 10-15 seconds. Once the garlic pieces start to slightly brown-up on the edges, add-in the clams. Carefully toss the shells in the butter.
  • Then add in the soju (1 cup). Wait until the soju comes up to boil. Let the soju boil for 1-2 minutes - so it can evaporate the alcohol. Then add-in 1 cup of water. Give it a good stir and let it come back to boil. Then boil for another 1-2 minutes (or until the 90% of the shells open up). At this time, give the broth a taste. If there is a strong alcohol taste, you can boil it for 30 more seconds and/or dilute it with more water (about 1/4 cup more).
  • Move the clams to your presentation bowl. Then pour that delicious broth over the clams. Garnish with the diced spring onion slices and a few shakes of black pepper.

Chinese-Style Shrimp Fried Rice

  • Cut spring onion stalks into thin rounds. Dice carrot piece into small bite-sized pieces. Chop a few of the shrimp into small bite-sized pieces. But keep a few of the shrimp whole for a nice presentation.
  • Scoop out two cups of rice and fan it out in a mixing bowl. (We want the rice to lose moisture and steam before we stir-fry it).
  • Put a frying pan on medium-high heat. Place some oil in. Once hot, place the spring onion pieces in. Let it sizzle in the oil and flavor it. After 15-20 seconds of sizzling, move the spring onion pieces to one side of the frying pan.
  • Crack 3 eggs into the other side of the frying pan. Use a wooden spatula or spoon to scramble the eggs. Try your best to keep the eggs separate from the other ingredients.
  • Then drop the shrimp into the middle of the frying pan. And pour the carrot pieces over the spring onion. Give it 15-20 seconds to sizzle and cook
  • Now the eggs should be fully cooked and won't stick to the other ingredients. Mix all of the ingredients together. Use your wooden spatula to stir and break down the size of the scrambled eggs. Now add in your rice. Use your spatula to mix the rice evenly into the other ingredients.
  • Then add-in Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon). Stir-fry until the soy sauce is well incorporated. Then finish with Sesame Oil (1/2 Tablespoon). Give one final stir to the rice.
  • Bon Appetit!

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Samgyeopsal Kimbap – Party of One!

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Samgyeopsal Kimbap. It’s a great idea, no? Take the key banchans that are served at Korean BBQ restaurants and roll it into a kimbap. I particularly like this recipe because it’s simple to make. With traditional Kimbap, you have to spend at least an hour prepping all of the individual ingredients. But today, we’ll simply pan-fry Samgyeopsal (thinly sliced pork belly) and carrots. That’s all for prep – woohoo!

Samgyeopsal Kimbap

The key ingredient in this roll – besides the Samgyeopsal – is Ssamjang. I call it Korean Hummus (heh). It’s a Korean dip used for fresh veggie sticks and lettuce wraps. The thick, spicy paste is made of doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, onion and garlic. It adds a strong, aromatic flavor and unites all of the ingredients together. Make it at home or get it delivered from Gochujar.

A few cooking notes:

  • Add an even layer of rice on the gim sheet. Don’t forget to leave about 1cm of rice at the top (look at image above)
  • Let the rice cool down or else your gim sheet will crinkle-up.
  • You can roll it without a sushi mat. (The roll is pretty fat, so it holds together well.)
  • Brush your rolled kimbap roll with sesame oil – it tastes better and makes it easier to cut

A few readers asked how long Kimbap stays fresh for? This is not a dish that you want to meal prep and store in your refrigerator. It’s best to eat kimbap within the same day of making it. If you’re tight on time in the mornings, prep the individual ingredients at night. Then roll in it the morning with fresh rice.

Enjoy Neighbors!

Dan-yul out.

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Samgyeopsal Kimbap

Course: Easy

Ingredients

Kimbap Ingredients

  • Few sheets of Gim (Laver Sheets)
  • Few slices of Samygeopsal (Thinly sliced Pork Belly)
  • Few pieces of Lettuce
  • Few pieces of Perilla Leaves
  • Few pieces of Pickled Radish Wraps (무쌈) Optional
  • A piece of Carrot (finger-length piece)
  • Few Chili Peppers
  • Few dabs of Ssamjang Paste
  • Few brushes of Sesame Oil (to coat the kimbap roll)

Rice Seasoning

  • 1.5-2 Cups of Freshly Cooked Short-grain Rice
  • A drizzle of Sesame Oil
  • Few shakes of Salt

Instructions

Quick Ingredient Prep

  • Julienne carrots into thin small strips. De-seed the chili peppers and slice in half. 
  • Scoop out your rice into a mixing bowl. Spread it out - so it cools down faster. Then put a small drizzle of sesame oil in, as well as few shakes of salt. Give it a quick mix. 

Cook ingredients

  • Place oil in a frying pan. Place the carrots in. Season it with salt. Stir-fry it around around 1 minute. Then set it aside and wipe out your pan with a paper towel.
  • Now add-in your Samgyeopsal strips. Cook until you get a nice golden-brown crisp on both sides. 

Make Kimbap

  • Place gim sheet down on a (dry) cutting board. We recommend using a rice paddle to spread it evenly over the gim sheet. Be careful not to rip the sheets. Fill the whole sheet but leave about 1 cm of space at the top. 
  • Now add 2 pieces of lettuce in the middle of the rice. Stack 2 pieces of perilla leaves on top. Then add 2 pieces of pickled radish. Then a chili pepper. 
  • Spread Ssamjang into the chili pepper. Then add 2 pieces of Samgyeopsal on top. 

Roll ingredients

  • Use your fingers to roll the kimbap tightly (you don't need a sushi mat as the roll will be big). Afterwards, use a small brush to coat the roll with a light layer sesame oil. 
  • Cut the roll into small bite-size pieces. Enjoy!

 

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Banana Tteok – Trending Dessert from Seoul

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Banana Tteok. Lately, Katie has been craving Afternoon Tea. Yes, the British kind! You know, the ones with the fancy cookies and cakes, stacked on a 3-tier platter. I’ve never had it before… so I don’t know how to make the whole setup. I told Katie that we could grab some herbal tea instead and re-create something similar at home, Korean style! She didn’t share my enthusiasm… 🤣

Banana Tteok

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In my efforts to persuade Katie out of dragging me to High Afternoon Tea at Four Seasons Seoul (which was way overpriced 🤯), I promised to make homemade Tteok! She didn’t believe that I would go through the cumbersome process of making rice-cakes at home and gladly accepted the deal. However, she underestimated my desire to stay at home… 😛

So I decided to get creative and make Banana Tteok. It doesn’t require much – just some glutinous rice powder and bananas. When we started, I could see the skepticism in Katie’s face! But as we rolled the dough into little balls, while listening to Christmas tunes, it started to get us into the Holiday spirits. A little dance here, a little flour there. Soon enough, we had all of our delicious Tteok finished. Best of all, they tasted incredible! Sticky on the outside, creamy banana filling on the inside and sweet cake crumbles on the outside. As Katie pointed out before devouring them, they’re so “precious”…

Enjoy guys and Happy Holidays!! 🎄 ☃️ 😝

Banana Tteok
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Banana Tteok (Korean Rice Cakes)

A simple Korean dessert that takes less than 15 minutes.  
Course: Easy
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • Ripe Bananas - 3 whole use 2 for the dough
  • Glutinous Rice Powder - 1.25 cups
  • Salt - 1 teaspoon
  • Warm water -  small amount for the dough
  • Castella Cake - 1-2 slices

Instructions

  • Peel 2 ripe bananas and place in a microwave-friendly bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Then use a fork and mash-up the bananas very thoroughly. 
  • Take out a mixing bowl. Place in the glutinous rice powder (1.25 cups). Place in Salt (1 teaspoon). Mix the two together. Then add-in the mashed bananas. Mix everything. Add in a few drizzles of warm water until the dough starts to clump and turns into a ball. Keep kneading until the dough doesn't stick to your fingers. (Add more water if it falls apart). Set aside for now.
  • Cut the crust and outer layer off your castella cake. Then use a cheese grater and grate your slice of cake into small sprinkles. 
  • Now, peel your 3rd ripe banana. Cut it into thin small pieces. 
  • Back to the dough. Snap-off a quarter-sized piece. Stretch it thin with your fingers (we don't want it too thick). Now place one or two banana pieces in the middle. Close it with your fingers and roll it in back and forth in the palm of your hands. This should form it into a ball. Repeat until you run out of dough. 
  • Fill a pot with water. Bring it up to boil. Then place your dough balls inside. Use a chopstick or kitchen utensil to give the balls a slight nudge (once in a while) so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot. 
  • Once all of the balls rise to the surface, let it boil for another 1 minute. (This will ensure that the dough is fully cooked through). 
  • Drain the water. Place the balls on your cooking board and let them completely cool-down. Let it drip off excess water. Once they're completely cool, roll each ball into your castella sprinkles. Toss them well and get them evenly coated. 
  • Serve immediately! With a cup of tea or coffee 🙂 

Notes

  • Rice cakes turns bad overnight - best to eat within a few hours of making
  • Use glutinous rice powder - regular rice powder doesn't work
  • If you don't have castella cake, you can substitute with other cakes as well. 
  • Refer to video for more details

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Korean Garlic Fried Rice – Under 5 minutes!

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Korean Garlic Fried Rice. If you haven’t started cooking along with us, this is low-hanging fruit 😉 Today, we only need garlic and soy sauce. That’s it! With these two ingredients, you can cook up an aromatic fried rice. It pairs well with any meat dish or grilled veggies! Let’s get started.

Korean Garlic Fried Rice

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This dish is straight-forward. The only thing is to not let the garlic burn.

After you add the minced garlic pieces into the oil, they will start to sizzle. As soon as the minced bits start to turn color (a light brown), immediately add in the soy sauce, salt and rice. This will keep you from burning it. Don’t worry – the garlic chips will continue to brown a tad more as you stir-fry the rice.

Grill up some fresh vegetables, get a steak (or white fish) going in another pan and eat it with the garlic rice. Perfection! 

Garlic Fried Rice
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Korean Garlic Fried Rice

Aromatic Garlic... Fried Rice!
Course: Easy
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • Rice - 1 cup
  • Garlic - 4 cloves
  • Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon or use 2-3 additional cloves
  • Oil - 3 Tablespoons
  • Soy Sauce - 1  Tablespoon
  • Salt - 4-5 shakes
  • Butter - 1 Tablespoon

Instructions

  • Put cooked rice (1 cup) out on a plate - let it cool off and release moisture
  • Then cut your garlic cloves (4) into thin slices. 
  • Put oil (3T) into a frying pan - don't turn on the heat just yet.
  • Place in the garlic slices and minced garlic (1T) first into the cold oil. 
  • Now, place it on a medium-low heat. The garlic will start to gently sizzle.
  • As soon as the minced garlic starts to lightly brown, immediately add-in the soy sauce (1T), salt (4-5 shakes) and rice.
  • Mix it in well. Then add in a nob of butter (1T). Mix again. Turn off heat.  
  • Plate and enjoy 🙂 

Notes

  • Optional: Serve with a sunny side-up egg
  • See video below for more details

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Tuna Kimbap – One of Korea’s favorite rolls

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Tuna Kimbap. It’s one of Korea’s favorite type of Kimbap. It tastes light and savory, a spring tuna salad with crunchy bits of cucumber and cabbage. Not to mention the slight grassy smell of the perilla leaf. A perfect roll to make for the summer!

Tuna Kimbap

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This recipe is much simpler to make than traditional Kimbap. All you need is a can of tuna and a few fresh veggies.

Substitutions: If you don’t like tuna, replace it with canned chicken. For the perilla leaves, there is no real substitute. Perhaps shiso leaves? If you can’t find either, skip it or add a few Thai or Lemon basil leaves. It should also add a hint of herbal flavor.

P.s. In Korea, we like to eat Kimbap with a bowl of Spicy Korean Ramen. The two pair well together – Bon Appetit neighbors!

Tuna Kimbap
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Tuna Kimbap - One of Korea's Favorite Kimbap

Tuna Kimbap is one of Korea's favorite type of Kimbap
Course: Easy
Servings: 3 rolls

Ingredients

Fresh ingredients

  • Tuna - 1 can 150 grams
  • Gim - 3 sheets
  • Cabbage - 1 layer
  • Perilla leaves - 6
  • Cucumber - small piece length of your pointer finger
  • Onion - 1/4 whole

Sushi Rice Seasoning

  • Cooked white rice - 2 cups
  • Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
  • Sesame seeds - few shakes

Tuna Cucumber Salad Seasoning

  • Mayonnaise - 3 Tablespoons Japanese or Korean Mayonnaise tastes great!
  • Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
  • Black pepper - few shakes

Instructions

Prep ingredients

  • Open tuna can. Drain it and squeeze out the oil. 
  • Take stems off perilla leaves. Cut the 1/4 piece of onion into thin small slices. Julienne the piece of cucumber and cabbage leaf into very thin strips. 
  • Take out a mixing bowl. Mix-in mayonnaise, vinegar and black pepper. Stir it together. Then throw in the tuna, cabbage, cucumber and onions. Mix it together with your hands. Top the mixture with a few shakes of black pepper. 

Make gimbap rice

  • Put rice into a large bowl. Fan it out so it can lose some steam and cool off.
  • Then sprinkle some salt (1/2 teaspoon) over the rice. Place sesame oil in (1 Tablespoon). Sprinkle on sesame seeds as well. Mix everything together. Set aside.

Roll-up gimbap

  • Place a sheet of gim on the cutting board (make sure its dry) 
  • Place an even layer of rice over the gim - up to about 2/3 of the sheet (reference video). Don't let the rice clump up in one spot - spread it out evenly. 
  • Place two perilla leaves at the center of the rice. Then put a few scoops of the tuna mixture over the leaves. 
  • Pull the bottom of the sheet up to the 2/3 line. Then use your hands to gently scoot back the filling, while squeezing the roll to make it firm. Continue to roll to the end.
  • Dab your finger in water. Then run it across the edge of the sheet. Roll it and seal the roll off.
  • Repeat again to make two more rolls.

Notes

  • It should make 3 kimbap rolls
  • See video below for more details

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Japgokbap – Korean Multigrain Rice

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Japgokbap. It is the preferred rice to cook for among Korean moms. It contains a variety of multigrains like millet, beans and other wild grains. If you eat rice regularly, consider tying this multigrain rice. It is a much more nutritious and healthier option than plain white rice.

Japgokbap

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White rice is stripped of its husk, bran and germ. So most of its nutrition is lost. But it does becomes easier to chew and more tasty. The idea of Japgokbap is to keep the tastiness of white rice, but increase the nutrition value by mixing in whole grains.

At a Korean market, you may see a large variety of wild grains in the rice section. There are over 20+ grains you can select from in my local market here in Seoul. Let me offer you a tip. Buy the glutinous kinds – they taste the best! The glutinous grains release much more starch at cooking temperature than other grains. They stick to each other and are easy to chew.

Korean labels indicate glutinous grains with the word “찰”. For example, you may see “찰 현미” and “현미” for brown rice. The former is glutinous brown rice and the latter is simply brown rice.

Today, we will make a mix and use the most popular wild grains. Some families like to use a mix of three grains. Or 5 grains. Sometimes, I just use one! It’s up to you.

The tricky thing to cooking multigrain rice is knowing how much water you need to add.

The amount of water required depends on (1) the method of cooking (pot, pressure cooker, rice cooker) and (2) on the grain type. Some people really like to be exact. But I prefer to keep it simple:

Start by pre-soaking the grains (and beans) in water. By doing so, the grains get fully hydrated and don’t soak-in any extra water.  So, you can use a 1:1 ratio of grain-to-water. It should produce a delicious, sticky rice! After the 1st batch, you can fine-tune the water amount, if needed.

If you will cook it on a pot (as I show in the video), make sure to use a thick-bottomed pot. A thick-bottom will evenly distribute the heat and prevent a hot-spot. Also, after it comes to a boil, make sure to reduce the heat to a low!

Alright, happy eats ya’ll. Daniel out! 🕺

Japgokbap
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Japgokbap - Multigrain Rice

Upgrade your rice! Cook multi-grains with your white rice.
Course: Medium
Servings: 3 people

Ingredients

Multi-grain rice

  • Short grain white rice (멥쌀) - 1 cup 
  • Mixed grains - 1 cup 
  • Short grain glutinous rice (찹쌀)
  • Short grain brown rice (현미쌀)
  • Yellow glutinous millet 찰수수 [aka Sorghum bicolor]
  • Red glutinous millet 찰기장 [aka Sorghum bicolor]
  • Water - 2 cups 

Additional grains

  • Glutinous black rice 흑미쌀 - 1.5 Tablespoons
  • Black Adzuki beans 검은팥 - a handful

Instructions

Make multi-grain mix

  • Take out a large mixing bowl. Pour equal amounts of each multi-grain into a bowl. Mix it all together with your hand. Store the multi-grain mix in a Tupperware.  
  • Note: Do not add the black rice or black Adzuki beans into the multi-grain mix - keep each in a separate bag or Tupperware.

Soak grains & beans

  • Measure 1 cup of your multi-grain mix and pour into a mixing bowl. Rinse and wash the multi-grains 2x under running water. Finally, cover the mix with water.
  • Let the mix sit and soak for at least 3 hours.
  • Repeat this for your beans. Let the beans soak for at least 3 hours as well
  • Note: It may be easier to soak them overnight - rather than waiting 3 hours during the day. It's completely okay to soak the beans or rice for much longer than 3 hours!

Cook Rice

  • Add 1 cup of short grain white rice to the mixing bowl with the soaking multi-grain mix.
  • Then add a handful of the soaked beans into the bowl as well.
  • Finally, add 1.5 Tablespoons of the black rice into the bowl. Give it a thorough mix with your hand. 
  • Then, pour the wet rice mixture into a strainer. Discard the remaining water.
  • Then, take out a thick-bottomed pot. Place the mixed rice in. Pour in 2 cups of fresh cold water. Put a lid on. Then place the pot on a medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
  • Once you hear it boiling, lift the lid and quickly mix the rice with a spoon.
  • Then, place the lid back on and reduce the heat to a low (simmer). Let it simmer for 5 minutes. 
  • Then take it off the stovetop. And let it sit by itself for 10 minutes. This is an important step - the rice will steam in the residual heat.
  • After 10 minutes, the rice should be ready. Eat alongside a bowl of banchan!
  • Note: If rice seems undercooked, close the lid and let it sit for longer in the pot. However, if the pot has lot most of its heat, place it back on the stove-top and cook for longer on a low heat.

Notes

  • You don't have to make your own custom mix. Korean marts will sell multi-grain mixes.
  • If you pay the grains separately, look for the word '찹', this means it is glutinous. Pick this one - taste much tastier 
  • If you want to save the rice, put it into ziploc bags and freeze right after cooking. 
  • See video for more details 

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Rice Cooker Castella Cake!

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Rice Cooker Castella Cake. Today, we are going to do something sacrilegious. Put something other than rice in the rice cooker. Cooking gods, forgive me.

Rice-Cooker-Castella-Cake-

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This recipe put a smile on our faces. Seeing a cake plop out of the rice cooker was too funny. At first, we doubted that it would taste good. But were pleasantly surprised by the results. Enough so to make a video and share the goods news with our neighbors 🙂

Making Castella cake – the traditional way – is a bit tricky. It also requires a few involved steps like whipping the egg whites into a foam. This mean you need to pull out an electric blender and… well, lot of extra steps. So today, we settle for a simpler method.

Traditional Castella is made of just 4 basic ingredients: bread flour, eggs, sugar, and honey. Which is the same ingredients used in muffin mix. So muffin mix works well as a substitute. However, our version is not as airy and bouncy as the famous ones sold in Korean department stores. I think that took years of experimentation and testing.

Anyhow, if you want to try pain-free baking, give this a shot!

Daniel out 🕺

Rice Cooker Castella Cake
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No Bake - Castella Cake

Use your rice cooker to make a delicious Castella Cake. Fun, experimental recipe!
Course: Easy
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

Muffin Mix

  • Flour - 1.5 cups
  • Sugar - 3/4 cup
  • Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
  • Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Wet Ingredients

  • Eggs - 3
  • Butter - 2 Tablespoons
  • Milk - 1/3 cup

Instructions

  • Make Muffin Mix: Take out a mixing bowl. And thoroughly mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
  • Take out another small bowl. Slice off a piece of butter. Melt in microwave for 1 minute.
  • Crack 3 eggs into a separate large bowl. Whisk eggs well. Pour half of the melted butter in. Mix into the eggs.
  • Take out a strainer and place over the egg mixture. Pour flour into the strainer. Gently tap on the strainer and sift the flour into the egg mixture. 
  • Finally, pour milk into the mixture. 
  • Thoroughly mix and blend all of the ingredients together.  The batter should be slightly runny and goopy.
  • Take out your rice cooker bowl. Brush the remaining melted butter into the bowl. Make sure to coat the sides so the cake don't stick. 
  • Pour batter into rice cooker bowl. Place bowl into rice cooker. Set it to steam (찜) mode and let it cook for 40 minutes. 
  • Once 40 minutes is up, use a toothpick and poke the middle to see if the cake has cooked all the way through. If is slightly wet, just let it sit in the cooker for 5-10 more minutes.
  • Enjoy with a cup of milk! 

Notes

  • Make sure to use baking powder - not baking soda!
  • Poke cake with a toothpick to see if middle is fully cooked through - let it sit in the cooker for 5-10 minutes longer if slightly wet. 
  • Feel free to add chocolate, fruits and other ingredients into the batter.
  • Watch video below for more details

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Korean Finger Food – Rice balls & Bacon Enoki Wraps

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Lately, I have taken an interest to chartercurie boards. It’s been fun to watch YouTube videos late at night and see all the different types of cured meats, along with how to plate them. Especially the way that many restaurants from France and Spain are doing it. So when a couple of friends pinged me that they would be visiting Seoul, I thought this would be a good time to give it a practice run for a Korean finger food board.

Korean Finger Food

I took a trip to Shinsegae department mall (a premium shopping mall with a grocery store as well) to purchase some quality, cured meats. But the price was sky-high! Couldn’t justify the exorbitant price and the quality wasn’t what I was expecting. I also imagined how fast my friends (who are big dudes) would gobble up those small salami slices. Would knock them back like grapes, get hungry, and ask for some ramen afterwards – ha!

So I decided to switch it up. I asked myself what Korean foods would be easy to pick at with my hands? Decided on beef rice-balls, tuna-mayonnaise rice-balls, and bacon-enoki mushroom wraps. Certainly, not as sexy as aged, cured meat and cheese. But definitely, more filling 🙂

Note: We are using cooked short-grain rice (aka sushi rice). Do not use long-grain rice – it will not be sticky enough to hold together.

Korean Finger Food
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Korean Finger Food: Rice balls & Bacon Enoki Wraps

Have friends coming over? Try out some sticky rice balls and bacon enoki-mushrooms wraps. A great conversation starter 😉
Course: Easy
Servings: 3 people

Ingredients

Beef Rice Balls

  • Cooked white rice - 1.5 cup
  • Carrot - 1 finger-sized piece
  • Onion - 1/2 a whole
  • Chives - 2 stalks
  • Sesame seeds - 1 Tablespoon
  • Sesame oil - 1 teaspoon
  • Salt - few shakes

Marinated Beef

  • Minced beef - 100 grams
  • Soy sauce - 1 Tablespoon
  • Sugar - 1/2 Tablespoon
  • Minced garlic - 1/2 Tablespoon
  • Sesame oil - 1/2 Tablespoon
  • Black pepper - few shakes
  • Chives - few pinches

Tuna Rice Balls

  • Tuna - 1 can
  • Gim - 1 package
  • Cooked White Rice - 1.5 cups
  • Chives - 1 stalk
  • Japanese or Korean mayonnaise - 2 Tablespoons
  • Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Sesame seeds - few shakes

Bacon Wraps

  • Enoki mushrooms - 1/2 package
  • Chives - 2 stalks
  • Bacon - 5 strips
  • Egg - 1

Instructions

Beef Rice Ball

  • Place short-grain, sticky rice into a mixing bowl. Let it cool down and slightly dry-out. Take out cutting board and finely dice onion, carrots and chives. Take out another mixing bowl. Place minced beef into the bowl. Then place all other ingredients listed under 'marinated beef' into the bowl. Give a nice mix and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  • Take out a frying pan and put it on medium high heat. Place some oil into the pan. Once hot, place in diced onions and carrots. Season it with some salt. Stir around for 1 minute. Place it on dish and set aside. Then clean your pan and add more oil. Once it is hot again, add in the beef. Cook it until there is no pink left. Then take out the beef only - try your best to leave most of the liquid in the pan! Set aside.
  • Add onion & carrots, beef and chives into the bowl with the white rice. Mix well with your hands. Add in the sesame seeds. Then season the rice mixture with salt (don't forget!). And finally add a teaspoon of sesame oil. Give a thorough mix. Then grab a small chunk of rice in your palm, and roll into a ball. Repeat until you run out!

Tuna Rice Ball

  • Take out a large mixing bowl and put rice in. Then remove all oil/water from the tuna. Place tuna chunks into the mixing bowl. Then crumble seaweed sheets in a ziploc bag. Place into mixing bowl. Chop-up chives and mix into the bowl. Then add-in mayonnaise and a few shakes of sesame seeds. Season with salt. Roll into a ball (like above)

Bacon Enoki Wraps

  • Cut the dirty ends of the enoki mushroom. Then cut the enoki mushroom in half. Cut the bacon strips in half. Then cut the chive stalks in half. And then trim off the ends to match the length of the enoki mushrooms (you can use the cut-off parts for garnish). Wrap the mushroom and chive with a bacon strip. Repeat for all bacon strips.
  • Crack an egg into a bowl and whisk it. Then put a frying pan on medium heat. Put a touch of oil into the frying pan. Then grab one rolled bacon and dip it into the egg wash. Don't let go of the roll (or else it may unravel). Then carefully place into the frying pan - with the end of the bacon facing-down on the pan. Repeat for each one. Cook until you get a nice crisp on the bacon. Enjoy!

Notes

  • When making the beef rice balls, make sure to separate the cooked beef from the residual juice left in the frying pan. Otherwise, the rice will become wet and will not hold together.
  • You can replace chives in all three recipes with scallions as well.
  • Don't forget to add salt to the rice-ball mixtures (when mixing).
  • If you have some kimchi, throw that onto the board as well.
  • For more detailed, watch the video below

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Kimchi at home – Your First Batch

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Kimchi is the quintessential Korean dish. There are many different types of Kimchi, but the most famous one is Napa Cabbage Kimchi.

Korean Kimchi

You will find this healthy dish in virtually every refrigerator in Korea. It is so important to the culture of Korea that there is even a “Kimchi Index” in Korea. It helps Koreans track the change in price of the main ingredients used in Kimchi – Napa cabbage, chili, radish and anchovies. When the price volatility is high, it makes national headlines.

It seems with the ever-busy lifestyle of Korea, the art of making Kimchi is being lost. It is rare to see families (let alone, single dwellers) to make it at home. Traditionally, a family would schedule a weekend in winter to make a large batch of Kimchi for the year, often using up to 10 Napa cabbages at a time! It is a labor of love.

Today, we show you a simple recipe that you can make at home – using only one head of Napa cabbage. This way, you can sample the flavors, gauge spice level and reduce prep time. Also, it’s okay if you mess up with one cabbage. Big deal – just buy another one! However, if you mess up with a batch of 10 cabbages, chances are you will never try making Kimchi again! Our recipe is simple and has the right balance of Korean flavors

Key taste variable: Time
The taste of the Kimchi will change slightly as you leave it longer in the refrigerator. This is normal and you should try it at its different stages.  Try tasting it fresh – right after you finish coating it with the Kimchi paste. Then sample it after 1 day of sitting out (and fermenting). Then try it cold, after it has had time to chill in the refrigerator. You will notice the flavor get deeper and more concentrated. I think it taste best when it has had some time to sit in the refrigerator for a few days.

Korean Kimchi
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5 from 1 vote

Kimchi - A simple recipe for your first time

Kimchi is spicy, fermented cabbage. A quintessential dish to Korean cuisine. We eat it with just about everything.
Course: Hard
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • Napa cabbage - 1 head
  • Kosher salt or Sea Salt - 1.5 cups Don't use regular dining salt - the salt crystals should be large
  • Korean radish - 2 inch piece
  • Asian Chives - 20 stalks

Kimchi Paste

  • Dashima Kombu - iPhone size piece of
  • Shiitake mushrooms - 4
  • Glutinous rice powder - 2 Tablespoon ok to use all-purpose flour as well
  • Gochugaru Korean red chili flakes - 1 cup
  • Minced garlic - 2 Tablespoon
  • Minced ginger - 1 Tablespoon
  • Anchovy sauce - 1/4 cup
  • Honey - 2 Tablespoon
  • Sugar - 1/2 Tablespoon
  • Kosher Salt - 1 Tablespoon

Instructions

Brine Cabbage

  • Cut the Napa cabbage into 4 pieces. Wash thoroughly and get off any dirt - especially near the stems.
  • Fill a large plastic bowl with 6 cups of water. Then add-in 1/2 cup* of kosher salt.
    [*NOTE: In the video, we state to add 1 cup of kosher salt. That's because we purposely didn't stir the water until the salt pieces completely dissolved. Some of our viewers have stirred the water until all of the salt crystals disintegrate - which makes the water too salty! To avoid confusion, we recommend using only 1/2 cup of kosher salt.]
    After adding the 1/2 cup, give the water a few stirs with your hands. (Again, no need to completely dissolve the salt into the water.) Then quickly dip each cabbage piece into the water - just so its wet, don't leave it sitting in the water. Afterwards, set it on a strainer and let it drip-off excess water for a few minutes.
  • Then pour-out 1 cup** of kosher salt - we'll use roughly this amount for the entire 4 cabbage pieces. Now, grab some salt with your fingers and toss it onto each layer of the cabbage - just a few sprinkles for each layer. (Imagine sprinkling salt on an egg - thats the amount you want to put on each layer.) Focus the salt onto the white stems of the cabbage.
    [**NOTE: You do NOT need to sprinkle on the whole 1 cup of salt - okay to use like 3/4 cup and have some leftover (as cabbage sizes are not always the same). Don't over-salt in this stage or your Kimchi will taste too salty]
    Then cover it with a lid (to prevent bugs from getting in) and let it sit in room-temperature for at least 6 hours (or overnight).

Check Cabbage

  • Next day, bend the cabbage stem and check that it doesn't snap. If it does snap, let it sit for longer in the salty water.
  • Drain the cabbage from the brine and wash each layer thoroughly under a running faucet. After one round of washing, wash again! This second wash will help reduce the overall salty flavor from the leaves.
    [IMPORTANT: At this point, taste the cabbage leaf - it should taste slightly-salty, but not overly salty.]
    Wash it again for a third time - if it tastes too salty. 
  • Set the washed cabbage pieces on a strainer and get rid of excess water.

Prep Veggies

  • Peel Korean radish. Then cut each section into thin circles. Then cut each circle into thin match sticks.
  • Cut asian chives into 2 inch sections.

Make Paste

  • Take out a pot and fill with 2 cups of water. Place in 4 Shiitake mushrooms and dashima pieces. Put it on a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes to extract broth. Strain the broth and let it fully cool down. (Note: It is important to let the stock broth cool down completely)
  • When the broth is cooled down, place in the glutinous rice powder (or flour) and mix into the stock. Mix thoroughly to get rid of all clumps. (Note: Don't turn on the heat until you have fully mixed the powder into the stock). Then place the pot onto a medium heat. Keep stirring until the paste thickens up and gets a gravvy-like consistency.
  • Get a large plastic bowl. Put in Gochugaru, minced garlic, minced ginger, anchovy sauce, honey, salt and sugar. Then put-in the paste as well. Give all of the ingredients a good mix.
  • Then put-in the Korean radish and garlic chive pieces as well. Mix veggies in and coat them in the thick paste.

Layering Kimchi

  • Place Kimchi paste on each layer of the cabbage leaf (reference video). Repeat for all 4 cabbage pieces.
  • Place the finished Kimchi pieces into a large Tupperware or large mason jar.
  • Place plastic wrap over the container and poke some holes into it. Let it sit out in room temperature for one day.
  • The next day, you will see bubbles in the kimchi liquid (from the fermentation). Now place the fermenting kimchi in the refrigerator. Let it chill in the refrigerator for a few hours
  • Once the kimchi is cold, chop the cabbage into sections and serve! Enjoy! 

Notes

  • Make sure to cool down the stock soup before placing in the glutinous rice powder. Fully stir in the powder until you see no lumps - then turn on the heat.
  • With each week, the Kimchi will taste more sour as it ferments longer. Kimchi is edible for many months. "Aged" Kimchi is popular in Kimchi Jjigae or Kimchi panackes.
  • If you have any specific questions, leave us a comment.
  • Watch video below for more details.

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Kimbap – Korea’s answer to sushi

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Kimbap is one of Korea’s most iconic snacks. It can be described as cooked rice, vegetables and meat rolled in gim (seaweed) sheets. Simply put, it is Korea’s version of sushi.

KimbapSkip to Recipe

There are differences between the two. First, Kimbap does not include raw fish. Instead, it is typically filled with Danmuji (pickled daikon), crab sticks (imitation crab meat) or other meats, cucumbers, carrots and rice. Second, Kimbap rice is not seasoned with vinegar. There is enough flavor from the mix of other ingredients.

Nowadays, there are endless variations of Kimbap in Korea. Many people mix and match ingredients to their preferences. Here are some of the most popular variations of Kimbap in Seoul.

Kimbap is also a very affordable meal – it usually costs 2,000 Won ($1.90) per roll. It is Korea’s version of ‘fast-food’ without the food-coma and the calorie bomb. In fact, you will see many street carts selling rolls for breakfast.

As a side-note, I think Kimbap would be a good idea for a ‘fast-causal’ eatery chain in the US or Europe. Similar to eating at Subway or Chipotle, customers could pick their ingredients and have the roll made in front of you. Hmm – what do you think?

Kimbap
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Kimbap - Korea's rice roll

Kimbap is one of Korea's most iconic snacks. Cooked rice and a variety of vegetables are rolled in toasted seaweed sheets. It is Korea's version of sushi minus the raw fish.
Course: Medium
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • Gim - 4 sheets
  • Rice - 2 cups
  • Cucumber - 1 whole
  • Carrot - 1/2 a whole
  • Danmuji - 4 strips
  • Eggs - 4
  • Crab stick - 4 optional
  • Ground beef - 150 grams

Seasoning

  • Sesame oil - 2 Tablespoon used for coating gimbap
  • Salt - 2.5 teaspoon
  • Black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Vinegar - ~2 Tablespoon
  • Water - 1 teaspoon

Instructions

Make the Rice

  • Pour two cups of rice into the rice-cooker bowl. Throughly rinse and wash the rice. Let it sit in cold water for 30 minutes.
  • Then drain the residual water from the rice again.
  • Use the same cup and pour two cups of water into the rice-cooker bowl. Place bowl into rice-cooker and turn it on .
  • Note: If you do not have a rice-cooker, cook rice on in a pot (read post)

Prep Ingredients

  • Let's start with the veggies: Cut off the ends from the cucumber. Cut cucumber into long strips (~1cm in width). Pour salt (1/2 teaspoon) and vinegar (1 teaspoon) over cucumber strips. Give a mix with your hands and let it rest for 10 minutes.
  • Cut carrots into thin strips (0.5cm in width). Repeat the same salting (1/2 teaspoon) and vinegar process (1 teaspoon) for carrot strips.
  • Then let's move over to the meats: Split the crab sticks in half with your hands.
  • Take out a bowl and crack four eggs into it. Season the eggs with salt (1/2 teaspoon). Pour 1 teaspoon of water into the eggs. Mix eggs throughly and set aside for frying.
  • Season minced beef with salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper. Take out the frying pan and cook the meat fully through.

Flavor rice and finish veggie prep

  • Pour out rice from the rice cooker into a large mixing bowl. Pour (1 teaspoon) of salt and (1 Tablespoon) vinegar over rice. Gently mix it into rice and let the rice cool down.
  • Use a paper towel to squeeze out the extra moisture from cucumber.
  • Place frying pan on medium heat. Put cucumber strips onto frying pan and cook briefly to remove moisture (roughly 10 seconds).
  • Repeat the process above (step #2-3) for the carrot strips.

Cook Egg Omelette

  • Turn frying pan on a medium heat. Pour vegetable oil into frying pan. Pour egg mixture in and give the pan a swirl so it is evenly coated.
  • Wait until the egg omelette is half-way cooked, then begin to roll the egg.
  • Finish the first roll and move the egg omelette to the bottom of the pan. Pour more egg mixture into the other-side, tilt the pan and connect the two pieces. Roll again and repeat until you finish the egg mixture. (reference video below)
  • Cut the finished egg roll into long strips. Halve the strips until you get roughly 1cm in width.

Toast Gim

  • Put a frying pan on medium heat. Wait until frying pan is hot. Place the gim (seaweed) sheet on the hot frying pan on each side for roughly 10 seconds. Repeat until sheets turn crispy and slightly green. Be careful not to burn them.

Roll Gimbap

  • Place gim on sushi mat. Check that the gim is close to the bottom of the sushi mat. Then pat down rice up to 3/4 of the gim sheet (or up to 1 inch from the top).
  • Add the egg, carrot, cucumber, crab stick, beef and danmuji strips to the middle of the rice.
  • Fold the kimbap (watch video for details).
  • Use a brush to coat the gimbap with sesame oil. Cut the gimbap into circles.
  • Take a picture and enjoy the fruits of your labor 🙂

Notes

  • Making it at home will requires some time, especially for prep. I would recommend reserving a weekend and invite your children or significant other.
  • Kimbap should be eaten in the same day as it was made. It will go bad if you keep it overnight.

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Perfect Sticky Rice Everytime

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Sticky rice – how hard can it be to make rice? Well, its not hard. But getting consistent results may be tricky. I have tried many different ways – including using your finger or hand to gauge water levels. But, I have found this to produce varying results as each person’s finger or hand size is different.

Here is one simple method we have been using over the years.

Perfect Sticky Rice

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Note, this cook method is specifically for short-grain, white rice. This type of rice (aka sticky rice, sushi rice) is the staple of Korean and Japanese rice. It is different to the long-grain rice used in Indian or Thai cuisine.

What is the difference?

Short-grain rice release a larger amounts of starch than long-grain rices. That extra starch gives short-grain race that sticky and chewy texture.

Perfect Sticky Rice
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Perfect Sticky Rice Everytime

Here are a few tips to get that perfect sticky rice for your Korean meal.

Ingredients

  • Short-grain white rice (1 cup)
  • Water 1 cup
  • Note: 1 cup of rice will be enough for a 2-person serving. Use more if you need - just remember a 1:1 ratio rice to water.

Instructions

  • Use any cup and fill it up to the brim with rice. 
  • Pour rice into a small pot (or rice cooker bowl). Rinse and stir around the rice in cold water. Then pour out the residual water. Repeat 4-5 times or until the residual water becomes clear.
  • Then re-fill the pot with cold water and let it sit for 30 minutes (This is a key step!)
  • After 30 minutes, pour out the residual water - try your best not to lose any rice.
  • Then use the same cup (from Step 1) and fill it to the same level. Pour it into the pot (or rice cooker bowl)
  • If you have a rice cooker, place the bowl in the cooker and turn it on. You're finished.
  • If you do not have a rice cooker, simply place a lid on the pot (important!). Then put it on the stove - on high heat and bring it up to a boil.
  • When you hear the pot boiling, reduce the heat to a medium. Let it cook for 5 minutes (keep lid on).
  • Then reduce heat to a low. Let it cook for 10 more minutes (keep lid on).
  • Then turn off the heat. Let it rest for 5 more minutes (keep lid on).
  • Total cooking time should be roughly 20-25 minutes.

Notes

  • 1 cup of rice = 2 person serving
  • The residual rice water from Step#2 can be saved in a plastic bottle as stock base for Korean stews. It is a good alternative to anchovy-dashima stock. You can use it to cook Kimchi Jjigae or Korean Beef and Radish Soup.
  • If you are cooking sticky brown rice, let the rice sit in cool water for 4-5 hours (rather than 30 minutes). Then use a 1 to 1.25 ratio (1 cup of rice, use 1 & 1/4 cup of water)

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Kimchi Fried Rice – With That Sunny-Side Up Egg

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Kimchi Fried Rice. It’s a simple and unassuming dish that encapsulates the unique flavors of Korean cuisine – including the famous Kimchi! If you have never tried cooking Korean at home, I would recommend this dish as the starting point.

Kimchi Fried Rice

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Kimchi fried rice is one of those childhood comfort foods that I crave frequently. I have this fun memory associated with it. When I was young, my sister and I would have a contest to see who can best spell their name out with ketchup over the fried rice. I remember being so annoyed that I had two more letters in my name than my sister (Her name is Mina). I usually would put my spoon through her egg out of spite. Which then led to her hitting me in the face. And then both of us getting spanked by our mom. Gotta love Korean families!

So yes – this dish bring back a flood of childhood memories. Though even today, I enjoy breaking the egg yolk and seeing it mix into with the rice 😉

Here is the Korean fried rice from my home – including the (mandatory) sunny-side egg. Enjoy!

Kimchi Fried Rice
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Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi fried rice is a great introduction into Kimchi and the spices of Korean cuisine. Absolutely delicious!
Course: Easy
Servings: 2 person

Ingredients

Ingredients (for 2 people)

  • Rice - 2 cups
  • Kimchi - 1/2 cup scoop out 2 Tablespoons of the Kimchi liquid as well - if you have
  • Onion - 1/2 of a whole
  • Diced carrots - 1/3 cup
  • Spring onions - 1/3 cup
  • Bacon - 2 strips
  • White Rice - 2 cups
  • Cooking oil - 2 teaspoon

Rice Seasoning

  • Gochugaru Korean red chili flakes - 1 teaspoon
  • Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
  • Soy sauce - 3 teaspoons
  • Black pepper - few shakes

Toppings and Garnish

  • Sesame oil - 1 teaspoon
  • Sesame seed garnish, optional
  • Sunny side-up eggs garnish, optional

Instructions

  • Scoop out the short-grain sushi rice and let it cool down on a flat dish for at least 15 minutes (this allows the rice to get rid of its moisture, which is better for stir-fry)
  • Then cube the onion, spring onions, carrots and kimchi into small pieces. Also cut the bacon into small bite-sized pieces as well.
  • Take out a large frying pan and put it on a medium-high heat. Put some oil in. Once it is hot, put the bacon pieces in. Once the bacon starts to sizzle, add-in the onions, spring-onions and carrots. Stir around until you see the onions turn slightly translucent.
  • Next, add the seasonings (Korean red chili flakes, sugar, soy sauce, and black pepper) into the stir-fry. Stir-it around and get it mixed-in well.
  • Then throw in the Kimchi pieces and stir everything together for ~2 minutes.
  • Then add in the rice as well as some Kimchi liquid (if you have it). Continue to stir to get the rice evenly mixed. Turn off the heat. Add in the sesame oil and a few shakes of sesame seeds.
  • Plate them up and add a sunny side-up egg to each plate (optional)
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • For vegetarians: skip the bacon and use shiitake mushrooms instead
  • Watch video below for more details

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