How To Make Kimchi Fried Rice - Choosing Chia (2024)

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Jump To Recipe 3 reviews posted Nov 23, 2019 by Jessica Hoffman

This recipe for Kimchi Fried Rice is quick and easy to make and will be your new favourite! Top it off with a fried egg for some extra protein or even add some tofu if you’d like to make this recipe vegan-friendly!

Say hello to one of your new favourite weeknight staples: Kimchi Fried Rice! I’m not kidding when I say you wont be able to stop eating this rice.

It’s savoury, crispy, comforting and bursting with flavour. It’s made with two main ingredients: rice and kimchi. You can use any type of rice you love for this recipe, like brown rice or sprouted rice, but I like to keep it simple and use jasmine rice.

What is Kimchi Fried Rice

If you’ve never had kimchi before, kimchi is a fermented cabbage dish that is a staple in Korean cuisine. It has a unique taste and can be enjoyed cold on its own, or cooked up in dishes like this rice. If you’re not a huge fan of cold kimchi on its own, I highly recommend you try it cooked up in this dish. The flavour of the kimchi changes when heated and mixed with other ingredients.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Kimchi Fried Rice

• This rice comes together in just 15 minutes (if you’re using pre-cooked rice)
• This recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free and can also be made vegan by leaving out the egg or adding some scrambled tofu on top instead.
• The combination of kimchi with the rice, sesame and garlic will is absolutely delicious!

What does Kimchi Fried Rice taste like?

This rice recipe is flavourful and has a tang from the kimchi. It has a slightly sweet and sour flavour and is very garlicky. The rice gets nice and crispy on the bottom for some different texture.

You can optionally top this rice off with a fried egg or simply enjoy it on its own!

Kimchi Fried Rice Ingredients

• Rice: Jasmine rice is my favourite type of rice to use in kimchi fried rice, but you can use any rice you like from basmati rice to sushi rice or even brown rice.
  
• Garlic: make sure to use fresh garlic for this recipe, not powdered or dried.
  
• Kimchi: you can’t make kimchi fried rice without the kimchi! Kimchi is made by fermenting cabbage and can often be found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores or your local health-food store.
  
• Sweet chili sauce: this adds some sweetness and chili flavour to the rice and makes it extra tasty! If you can’t find sweet chili sauce you can substitute with one tablespoon of brown sugar or honey.
  
• Sesame oil: this aromatic oil adds sesame flavour to the rice and also makes it smell amazing as it cooks!
  
• Sriracha: for a little bit of heat. You can also use Sambal Oelek or leave this ingredient out if you don’t like spice.
  
• Soy sauce: for some salty and savoury flavour. If you are making this recipe gluten-free make sure to use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
  
• Egg: Kimchi Fried Rice is often served with a fried egg on top. This is totally optional but adds some extra protein to the dish.

How to make Kimchi Fried Rice

Use precooked rice or cook 1 cup of rice according to package directions. Then heat some oil in a large pan and add the chopped garlic, letting it cook for just a minute until fragrant.

Add in the chopped kimchi and mix it all together. Let cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the rice and seasoning and mix well to incorporate everything. Let the rice sit in the pan on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes so the rice starts to brown on the bottom and get crispy.

Optionally fry up some eggs to serve on top of the rice!

Tips for Making Easy Kimchi Fried Rice

• Don’t overcook the garlic in the pan. Let it cook just for about a minute. You don’t want the garlic to brown, this will give the rice a different flavour.
• Chop up the kimchi so it’s in small bite-sized pieces. Some brands of kimchi may come in large chunks.
• Let the rice cook in the pan without touching or moving it around for a couple of minutes on high heat so it browns on the bottom. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn!

More rice recipes to try

• Vegan Fried Rice
• Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowls
• Vegan Cauliflower Fried Rice

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posted by Jessica Hoffman on November 23, 2019 (updated April 27, 2022)

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