When I was in college I had a Korean roommate who used to invite all her friends over and make Kimchi fried rice every Friday night. Those were good times. They were such fun people, and they made such good food! I remember trying Kimchi for the first time (and smelling it) and wondering why anyone would eat it, but it didn’t take long before I was joining them at the table and helping myself to more if you please. Now it’s something of a comfort food for me. In fact, just this weekend, I had it for three meals in a row. I couldn’t help it. It was just so good!
This recipe is really easy to make, and it tastes just the way I remember it.
For starters, you’ll need to buy a jar of Kimchi–either spicy or medium–and dice some of it up. You can find Kimchi almost anywhere nowadays.
What? You don’t think this looks appetizing? I think it looks delicious. My favorite part is where it says, “Contents my overflow due to natural fermentation.” I mean, how many things can say that on their packaging? But honestly, aside from the excellent health benefits you get from all the wonderful ingredients like ginger and garlic, the fermentation adds some awesome flora to your gut, which helps the immune system, digestion, and even stress management. Some people think that Kimchi could be the reason Koreans were not affected by the SARS outbreak in Asia in the early 2000’s. Read here.
Next just stir-fry your veggies. I use frozen since it’s quick and easy, but you can always use fresh vegetables as well.
Then combine all the ingredients together in a large skillet with your cooked rice. Stir-fry it for a few minutes until flavors combine. If you want it extra spicy, then add more Kimchi and make sure and pour the juices in with it.
All you need next are friends to share it with, and your recipe is complete.
- 1 14 oz. jar of kimchi
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2½ cups frozen stir fry veggies
- 4 eggs
- ⅛ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- sea salt
- Cook the rice according to package directions.
- Stir-fry the vegetables in a large skillet.
- While these are cooking, carefully open the jar of kimchi (over the sink), scoop out about half of it, and dice it up (use an apron--it stains).
- Once rice is done, combine rice and kimchi in with the vegetables. Add olive oil and butter and stir-fry until flavors are well blended. Add salt to taste.
- Fry up an egg for each person eating, and place the egg on top of each serving. Make sure the egg is a little runny so it runs into the rice when eating.
