Kimchi Fried Rice

5 from 11 votes

This easy Kimchi Fried Rice recipe was a staple in my house growing up and still is today! It's a delicious meal on its own, especially topped with a fried egg, but can also be served as a side dish for other Korean dishes like bulgogi or spicy grilled pork belly.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

martinating time30

Total Time55

Course: dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: korean

Servings:

Calories: 561kcal

Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

marinated pork belly

1 tbsp gochujang (Korean Chili Paste)
1 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ginger minced
1 garlic clove
8 oz diced pork belly

Kimchi Fried Rice

1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups chopped kimchi plus juices
2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
3 green onions thinly sliced and divided
2½ cups steamed short-grain rice
2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon furikake optional

Optional Fried Egg

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Spicy Pork

Place all pork marinade ingredients into a mixing bowl. Whisk marinade ingredients together and add pork.
Mix together until all pork pieces are fully and evenly coated. Set aside and allow pork to marinate for 30 minutes.
Pour 1 tablespoon vegetable oil into a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add pork and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned and just cooked through.
Remove from skillet and set aside.

Fried Rice

Clean pan out, then pour remaining vegetable oil into skillet followed by beaten eggs. As eggs cook, gently but quickly stir and break apart into large pieces.
Remove from heat and add to cooked pork belly.
Pour sesame oil into skillet. Add kimchi and soy sauce and saute until kimchi begins to caramelize, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add rice and stir together until rice is well coated. Add pork belly and eggs back to the skillet and toss together until evenly distributed through rice mixture.
Continue to cook until rice begins to char around edges, about 4 to 5 minutes, making sure not to stir the rice so you get crispy bits on the bottom.
Stir in 2 green onions and sesame seeds and remove from heat.

Optional Fried Egg

Place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once skillet is hot add oil and swirl to coat.
Crack egg into a small bowl or ramekin and pour into skillet. Fry egg for about 3 minutes or until the white has set with crisp edges and yolk is still runny. Season with salt and pepper and slide over fried rice.
Top with remaining green onion and furikake (if using), and serve.

Notes

Tips and Tricks for Success

If you're unable to find "old kimchi", no problem! You can easily speed up the aging process of kimchi by leaving the jar out at room temperature for a day or 2. If you do this, you need to make sure the jar isn't completely full. The kimchi will release more liquid as it ferments and if there isn't sufficient space in the jar, the pressure from the fermenting process will make the jar explode. Also make sure the lid isn't fastened too tightly for the same reason.
If you want a bigger kick in the fried rice, you can add some gochugaru, which is Korean chile powder. You can start with about 1/2-1 teaspoon of the powder and go from there based on your heat preference! I don't really recommend adding more kimchi juice if it's increased heat you're looking for, to avoid added moisture.
Use leftover rice for our kimchi fried rice, if you have it! The day-old rice not only firms up in the fridge, but the grains separate easier when cooked. This will ensure your stir fry will have a nice texture and won't be mushy.
Use boneless pork shoulder if you're unable to find plain pork belly (as mentioned above). The flavor and texture is more similar to pork belly than bacon (since it's not cured or smoked like bacon).

Nutrition