This healthy vegetarian kimchi fried rice dish is full of Korean flavour and makes an easy lunch or dinner. Serve topped with a fried egg for a hearty and spicy meal.
Quick, easy and spicy...this fried rice dish ticks all the boxes.
Will has started making his own kimchi. He's much more into the nitty-gritty, technicalities of food than I am. I like to throw together a whole bunch of ingredients and see what happens and more often than not those creations end up on the blog in one form or another.
Whereas Will loves the rule following of a loaf of bread or the chemistry of pickling. He's even a lover of beer brewing while all the gravity measuring and hydrometers bamboozles me.
Anyway, thanks to Will's new found interest in kimchi we've had several jarfuls sitting in the fridge in need of use and kimchi fried rice seemed like the absolutely perfect option.
Why we love kimchi fried rice:
- It's so easy and quick to make with less than 15 minutes needed from start to finish and one pan to make this delicious dish
- It's a great way to use up leftover rice
- It's a vegetarian main which is great for either lunch or dinner and it's so easy to make vegan by simply leaving off the egg
- It's also gluten free and dairy free so it's the perfect option for anyone with dietary restrictions
Kimchi & Gochujang Fried Rice Ingredients:
- Onion, garlic & ginger: The perfect start to a super flavourful meal
- Kimchi: Use store bought or homemade, either will work perfectly
- Cooked Rice: Try and make a little extra another night so that you're ready to make this dish
- Gochujang: One of my favourite ingredients, a slightly spicy Korean chilli paste
- Butter: Melted with gochujang to add to the final dish
- Eggs: Fried and served with the rice
Korean Fried Rice Instructions:
- Fry the aromatics: Heat the oil and fry the onion for a few minutes then add the garlic and ginger.
- Cook the kimchi and rice: Add the kimchi and rice, mix together then flatten and cook for another few minutes until crisping on the bottom.
- Finish the fried rice: Mix together the gochujang and butter, fry the eggs and served the rice topped with the butter and eggs.
Expert tips for making Korean kimchi fried rice:
- Fried rice works best with dried out rice so if you can make rice a day or two before you want to use it for this recipe it will work better
- If you can find gochujang in stores you can order it online, scroll up to find the link to my favourite brand on Amazon
- Any kind of kimchi works best from classic cabbage to whatever your favourite is
- If you want to make this fried rice vegan simply leave off the fried egg and use a vegan butter with the gochujang
- To bulk out this recipe you can add your choice of vegetables from broccoli to carrots, most options will work
Want more? Try these other rice recipes!
- Lemon Rice
- Baked Tofu Bowl with Gochujang
- Easy Cilantro Lime Rice
- Butternut Squash Salad with Wild Rice
- Vegan Sweet Potato Sushi
- Spicy Rice Bowls with Korean Marinated Tofu
Recipe
Kimchi Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon Ginger grated
- 200 g Kimchi chopped
- 300 g Cooked Rice
- 1 tablespoon Gochujang
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 2 Eggs
- Chopped Coriander, Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, Sesame Seeds & Lime Wedges to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes then add the garlic and ginger and fry for another minute or so.
- Add the kimchi and rice and stir together. Cook, stirring regularly, for 4-5 minutes then turn the heat down to medium low and flatten the rice.
- Continue to cook for about 2 minutes until getting slightly crispy on the bottom. Mix together the butter and gochujang. Fry the eggs to your liking.
- Serve the rice topped with dots of the butter, a fried egg and your choice of topping, see suggestions above.
Notes
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Jared says
I really enjoyed this. A few things: the recipe instructions doesn't mention to melt the butter (maybe obvious but I missed that in the introduction). Also, I thought it could use some more veggies. I am going to try adding some more things next time to make it more of a full meal. Maybe cabbage, carrots, etc.
Toni says
I loved this! So tasty and delicious!
Courtney | Love & Good Stuff says
My husband is such a kimchi lover I'm surprised he hasn't started making his own yet! Love how quick and easy this recipe is!
Kelly Anthony says
I love how quick and easy this kimchi fried rice is. I'm also a big fan of only having to clean one pan.
Rosa says
This looks so flavourful and I love how much colour that fried egg adds on top!
Danielle Wolter says
I have been dying to try making my own kimchi! I just need to find the time LOL. this looks absolutely incredible Amy. I LOVE kimchi fried rice and that egg just takes it over the edge 🙂