Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap)

When I was first introduced to Korean food in high school, I immediately fell in love with three dishes--cold noodles, bibimbap, and kimchi fried rice. Being Vietnamese, I grew up on noodles and rice so it wasn’t a surprise that I gravitated toward those dishes. I usually order the cold noodles and bibimbap at the restaurant since they’re a bit more complicated to make. 

On the other hand, when I’m craving for rice and something spicy, kimchi fried rice is my go to! Surprisingly simple but so darn addicting, it’s on regular rotation with our traditional Vietnamese fried rice and Thai pineapple fried rice. 

My Korean friends told me that the eggs are usually cooked with the rice but I prefer mine with a fried egg on top, actually two because one fried egg is never enough!

Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap)
3 tbsps olive oil
¼ cup white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ tablespoon ginger, minced
1 cup of Napa cabbage kimchi, chopped
2 cups of cooked white rice, one day old
4 eggs, fried sunny-side up
Scallions and cilantro for garnish, both sliced thinly
Freshly ground pepper
Extra kimchi to serve (optional)

1. Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add 2 tbsps of olive oil and stir-fry the onion and ginger until fragrant. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.

3. Add the chopped kimchi and rice and stir-fry for another 5 minutes.

4. Decrease the heat to medium-low and press the rice down with a spatula and let the bottom crisp for another 5 minutes then turn off the heat.

5. In a separate pan, heat the remaining olive oil on medium-high heat and fry the eggs, one side until the white is just set.

6. Divide the fried rice among four plates, top each plate with a fried egg, and garnish with freshly ground pepper, scallion, and cilantro.