Kimchi fried rice is a Korean dish that can be prepared very easily at home.
It is made by sautéing over-ripened cabbage kimchi with cold rice in oil.
The fried rice is a wonderful mix of sour, funky, umami, spicy as well as salty flavors.
Kimchi gives it a sour, funky, and spicy taste while the egg and pork add a flavor of savory richness.
The kimchi also provides crunchy texture to the dish, provoking one to take some more.
Although many find it difficult to cook rice, it is much easier to cook using a Japanese rice cooker.
There are many Japanese rice cookers on Wellfed, which with its impressive features, has made cooking rice a matter of when and not if.
Recipe:
- Cabbage-kimchi should be cut into bite-size strips.
- The rice should be cooked and stored in the refrigerator. One can take the help of Japanese rice cookers to accelerate the process of rice cooking. There are some Japanese rice cookers on Wellfed with some fantastic features which will help you cook rice easily.
- About 1 ½ cup of cut kimchi and 2 cups of cooked rice should be taken.
- If you wish to add eggs to the dish, it is better to scramble it for use. About 1 tbsp of oil should be added to an egg in the pan, broken, and then cooked properly.
- Next, you should heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Then the kimchi, sugar, and gochujang must be added and fried for about 5 minutes until the cabbage becomes soft or gets translucent.
- Then the heat should be reduced to low and the rice is introduced in the pan. The rice should be pressed with a spatula or spoon and mixed thoroughly in it.
Once the kimchi and rice are properly mixed, the scrambled egg is added to it. You can taste and make changes according to your taste.
- Next toasted sesame seeds and torn pieces of toasted seaweed are added to the mixture. The seaweed should be dry, unsalted, and plain. The roasted seaweed with oil and salt can make the preparation too salty. So one should be precautious and add salt accordingly.
- Now the heat is increased to medium and left for about 3-4 minutes so that the part at the bottom burns. This adds a very different flavor to the dish and is, according to the many, the best part of the dish.
Final Word
The dish is thus ready to be served.
It is itself quite filling and does not require any side dish. But it can be served with some hot soups like Kongnamul Guk and Bugeo Guk to balance out the spicy and salty flavors.
The fried rice can be modified according to your tastes.
You can add canned tuna, pork, bacon, or cheese if you desire to make it even more delicious!
However while cooking one should keep a few things in mind.
- You should not add too much kimchi liquid as the rice gets wet and the dish becomes very soggy, thus losing its original taste.
- The kimchi used should be mature and at least a couple of weeks old. If they are unavailable, you can add a bit of maesil syrup or vinegar to add some tartness.
- The burnt rice really adds to the taste and is an integral part of the recipe.
Thus it is a very easy dish to prepare which can be cooked very quickly.
All you need is the ingredients and a rice cooker.
A number of rice cookers in Wellfed have the best features, which provide the perfect bowl of rice.
The flavours of kimchi, along with its crunchy taste has made this dish delicious.