Kimchi Fried Rice

It’s time for another “sweep the kitchen” recipe! You know how I love these recipes. Food is not only expensive, but it’s also the number one contributor to landfills, so I always try to keep my food waste to a minimum. To help keep my food waste down, I wanted to design another recipe where leftover vegetables can be “hidden” into the mix. Not only did I pack this Kimchi Fried Rice with leftover rice and vegetables from my fridge, but I even tossed in some of my “scraps” to add extra hidden vegetable goodness. Yep, I saved an entire broccoli stem from the garbage by shredding it right into the vegetable mix for my Kimchi Fried Rice. Imagine all the other places you can “hide” shredded broccoli stems!

If you’ve never had Kimchi Fried Rice it has a wonderfully tangy and spicy flavor, which can help marry the flavor of any leftovers you may want to throw into your fried rice. If you’re not into spicy foods, you can opt for mild kimchi, which still has a wonderfully tangy bite. Personally, I always opt for a vegan kimchi because regular kimchi is a little too fishy for my tastebuds.

You definitely want to use day-old rice for this recipe because the rice grains will be a little on the firm side, which keeps them from getting mushy while you’re stirring them together with the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t have a full four cups, that’s okay, just use as much as you have. It’s all about using those leftovers. I also opted to use both the white and green ends of the green onion, to avoid having to use a separate yellow onion.

Speaking of leftovers, if you have leftover ham from the holidays or even some leftover deli ham that needs to be used up, ham is awesome with kimchi fried rice. Just dice it up and fry it in the skillet until the ham gets nice and crispy on the edges. Remove it from the skillet before cooking the vegetables, then stir it back in at the end. YUM.

Oh, and you don’t NEED to use a broccoli stem in this recipe. If you don’t have one, just skip it. I used it because I had it, and I wanted to demonstrate how it can easily be grated and hidden in other food. :)

Serving suggestion: topped with a fried egg and a light drizzle of sriracha.

How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice – Step by Step Photos

Prepare all of your vegetables and add-ins before you begin cooking, because fried rice cooks quickly, so you won’t have time to double task. I used one large broccoli stem, which I briefly peeled and then shredded.

Also peel and shred one large carrot. Slice four green onions, separating the white ends from the green ends. I had about one cup of shredded broccoli stem and one cup of shredded carrot, once finished.

This is the kimchi I used. I always go for a vegan kimchi because the regular kind is too fishy for my delicate taste buds (haha), but I will admit that this brand wasn’t quite spicy enough for me. Either way, I used about one cup, or 1/3 of this 16oz. jar.

Roughly chop the kimchi so that all the pieces are bite-sized.

Add two large eggs to a bowl and lightly whisk with a fork.

Now that all the ingredients are prepped, it’s time to start cooking. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp of any light flavored oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the white ends of the green onions and sauté for just one minute. Next add the shredded broccoli stems and carrots and sauté for a minute more.

Add the chopped kimchi, plus 2-4 Tbsp of the juice from the jar (depending on how strong you want that kimchi flavor, you can always add more later). Sauté the kimchi with the other vegetables until the juice reduces and the skillet is fairly dry again.

Add 4 cups of day-old cooked rice and fold it into the vegetables until they’re well incorporated. Allow the rice to heat through.

Push the rice off to the sides and pour the whisked egg into the center. Gently scramble the eggs until they are set, then mix them back into the rice.

Finally, turn the heat off and sprinkle 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil over the rice. Gently fold the rice in the skillet until the soy sauce and sesame oil are incorporated. Taste the Kimchi Fried Rice and adjust the soy sauce if you want it saltier, or add more kimchi juice if you want it tangier or spicier. 

Sprinkle the green ends of the sliced green onions over top just before serving.

Tangy and with so many hidden vegetables! Woot!