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Use your leftover rice to make this spicy and tangy kimchi fried rice. Topped with a fried egg, sesame seeds, Korean seaweed, and scallion, a delicious dinner is done!
Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap in Korean) is quick, easy, and inexpensive to make, yet this humble meal tastes simply marvelous. Kimchi is made of fermented vegetables (napa cabbage, radish, scallion, and cucumber are used) and it’s a staple in the Korean diet. It tastes spicy and sour and has a pungent smell.
If you have never had kimchi before, or don’t like eating kimchi by itself, try this fried rice recipe because once kimchi is cooked, it loses its pungent taste and leaves just delightful spicy, refreshing, tangy flavors.
Watch How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice
Spicy and tangy kimchi fried rice topped with an egg, sesame seeds, Korean seaweed, and scallion.
Unlike other fried rice recipes that use all kinds of ingredients, Kimchi Fried Rice can be simple; with just kimchi and rice. Kimchi is very flavorful so you won’t need any other seasonings.
Though my favorite ingredients for kimchi fried rice include Gochujang, a fried egg, and Korean seaweed (I usually put a lot because I love them, but refrained from putting too much for the photos).
Kimchi Fried Rice is a very simple dish, but the most important tip to make perfect fried rice is to use day-old rice, which is dry and not soft. Use kimchi juice from the jar to season the rice as it brings out delicious umami flavor, and drizzle with sesame oil which gives nice nutty aroma to awaken your appetite.
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Use your leftover rice to make this spicy and tangy kimchi fried rice. Topped with a fried egg, sesame seeds, Korean seaweed, and scallion, a delicious dinner is done!
- 2 green onions/scallions (white ends to cook, green parts to garnish)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup napa cabbage kimchi (drained, see Notes)
- 2 Tbsp kimchi juice (drained from jar) (See Notes)
- 2 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (separated)
- 2 tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice (Preferably day old rice at room temperature, see Notes)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (roasted)
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- freshly ground black pepper
- 5 Korean seaweed (optional, shredded)
- 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (1 fried egg per person to serve on top)
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Gather all the ingredients.
- Slice white part of the scallion thinly and cut green parts of scallion diagonally. Also, mince the garlic cloves.
- Using kitchen shears, cut kimchi into bite size pieces.
- In a large wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add scallion (white part) and the minced garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
- Add kimchi and kimchi juice and cook for 1 minute to combine with the scallion.
- Add gochujang and soy sauce and cook stirring for 1 minute until kimchi starts to get soft. If kimchi starts to stick to the bottom but not cooked through yet, add a little bit of water or more kimchi juice. You can also add more kimchi juice if you like it spicy. Make sure you cook kimchi thoroughly before adding rice.
- Reduce heat to low and add the rice, stirring thoroughly to combine. Cook until the rice is warmed through, about 1-2 minutes. Toss the wok to keep the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Lastly, sprinkle sesame oil, sesame seeds, and green part of scallion (save some to garnish on top later). Add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Toss the wok from time to time If the ingredients look like they are about to burn and stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Meanwhile in a non-stick frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat and add the eggs. Turn down the heat to low and cook until egg white is completely cooked. The tip I learned to make a perfect sunny side up is to scoop the hot oil from the pan with a spoon and pour it over the uncooked egg white so that egg white will cook faster without overcooking the egg yolk.
- Serve Kimchi Fried Rice on a plate topped with a fried egg and sprinkled with scallions and shredded Korean seaweed.
You can create your own version by adding ¼ lb protein and/or veggies (cut into bite-size). My favorite choice is pork. Cook the meat as the first step before adding scallion.
Napa cabbage kimchi: Over-fermented (sour) kimchi is ideal for making fried rice, but if you’re using fresh (non-sour) kimchi, you could add a little bit of vinegar to juice up the flavor.
Kimchi juice (drained from jar): If you don’t have enough kimchi juice, season with salt; otherwise salt is not necessary.
Rice: If you know you are going to make fried rice next day, use less water when cooking the rice to make it drier.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Really liked your tip about making the perfect sunny side up! And right when I was just about to ask how you got your eggs to look so perfect. Now I’m contemplating picking up a jar of kimchi on my next HMart run… =)
Hi Kimmi! It’s always successful with this method. Egg white is set and yolk is still runny! Get a jar of kimchi! I’m going to make this as soon as I go back the the states!
Honestly, Nami, I would just pour that kim chee mixture over some hot rice! Yummy!
Haha! Yes that’s the quick way! My kids think kimchi is too strong when it’s not cooked but they enjoy fried rice with kimchi.
Thanks so much! Ironically, we just came home from Hmart & I had guess what? I was telling my family I need to find a recipe for Kimchi Fried Rice & you answered
Hi Judy! I hope you enjoy making this at home and like the recipe! Thank you so much for your comment! 🙂
We’re having high temps this week in Norcal and decided to try your recipe. We’ve had a large jar of kimchee in our fridge for a few months. I tasted it and the cabbage still had its form so forged ahead to make the kimchee fried rice. So easy to make and delish. I didn’t have any old rice, so I had to cook my rice, but it turned out okay. Yes, I can see that a day old rice would work well for this recipe.
Hi Mae! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I hope you enjoyed it. 🙂 Yes, a day old rice is a bit more firm/hard and less moisture, so the fried rice doesn’t get as soggy (but it depends how much kimchi juice you add etc too). Thank you so much for writing your feedback! 🙂 xo
I have to admit I’ve never been a kimchi fan, but after seeing this post and your video, I picked up a jar so that I can try this out. Looks delicious and we are trying to eat more fermented food so it was helpful that you said it is not so pungent when cooked.
Thank you Julie! Wonderful! I hope you enjoy this dish. My husband doesn’t like raw kimchi but he loves it when it’s cooked! Let me know what you think. 🙂
Oh, and the egg and (salty) Korean seaweed are must, if you want less “kimchi” taste. 😀
Hi Nami, just wanted to let you know I did try this and it was great. As I suspected, since I love fried rice I loved it even though I don’t like kimchi! (I used Japanese seaweed; I didn’t even know there was a Korean seaweed.)
Hi Julie! You’re not the only one who doesn’t like kimchi but enjoy this kimchi fried rice! So happy you liked this recipe! Thank you for trying this recipe!!
Korean seaweed: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/gim-gui (you can buy one in Korean/Japanese/Asian store). 🙂
Made this tonight and added some pork. Couldn’t find gochujang so used Sriracha instead. Turned out great! The fried egg really makes the dish.
Hi MS! I’m so glad to hear Sriracha worked too! Thank you very much for your kind feedback. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this dish. 🙂
Can you use radish kimchi?
Hi Zharina! Hmmm… I’ve never used radish kimchi for this recipe. However, if you chop the radish to smaller pieces I think it’ll work – it’ll give a nice crunch in the rice. Same savory flavor from kimchi juice. Give it a try and let us know! 🙂
Last night I made kimchi fried rice and my family love it. They want me make it again. Thank you very much!! I love your recipe!
Hi Michelle! I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Dear Namiko!
I just made this tonight. It was so easy to make and the taste of the yummy kimchi shined through. It had just enough kick of spice, but not the true Korean level that brings me to tears lol!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Hi Alex! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Haha, I can’t eat too spicy either (before I couldn’t eat ANY spice). Thank you for your kind feedback, Alex!
This is so easy and yet so delicious! I made it tonight and the flavors are just the perfect balance! Nami, thank you for the recipe. My tummy’s very happy : )
Hi LayChin! YAY! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks so much for writing your kind feedback! xo 😉
I used the leftovers from your chashu pork recipe to add to this for a quick lunch and it was divine! Thank you for this web site.
Hi Chloe! Ah I can totally imagine the flavor! Thank you for trying this recipe! 🙂
What would you recommend a substitute for gochujang? Will it still taste right without it?
Hi Natasha! If you can’t get it, it’s okay to skip – it has nice umami and savory taste… so if you really enjoy the kimchi fried rice without it, then I highly recommend getting one online etc. It will elevate to next level with gochujang. 😉
I want to make this tonight. I love kimchi fried rice. Would it still be good without the gochujang? Trying to skip going to the grocery store. 🙂
I ended up getting the gojuchang and made it. I added pork belly. It was really good. Thanks again for another great recipe.
Hi Mydao! I am so sorry for my late response. I usually respond sooner, but I’ve been very busy. 🙁 Hope I won’t let you down next time.
I’m glad you could purchase gochujang. I was going to say that you can make it without it, but the fermented paste has so much umami flavor that even a little bit helps to create a better dish. 🙂
This is such an easy dish to make!! I usually make this after I’ve made a lot of bulgogi. When that starts to run low I cut up and use the extra meat in this. I also add in shredded parmesion cheese at the end. I like this dish because it’s not too spicy! If u like it really spicy, just follow her advice. So yummy
Hi Katie! I haven’t had this for a while and your additional ingredients like bulgogi and cheese made me drool… so good!!! Thank you for your kind feedback, Katie!
I just made this delicious recipe and look forward to making again. Thank you!
Hi Carmen! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish! 🙂 Thanks for leaving your kind feedback here. xoxo
This recipe is fantastic! My significant other and I absolutely love it!I recommend this recipe to anyone who loves a bit of spice in their meal! If you want to add a twist add a bit of bacon! Its divine!
Hi Jeanna! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! It’s my favorite and hard to stop eating. 😀 Thank you for your kind tip on bacon! Yum!
This was fabulous! We just came back from Hawaii and had kimchi rice several times. I really wanted to try to recreate it at home. Thank you so much for being able to help us relive a great dish from our vacation!
Hi H. Borgeas! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed recreating your favorite meal from Hawaii! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂 xo
I made your kimchi fried rice with the leftover homemade kimchi (my first batch) and it was a huge hit! My husband who doesn’t like kimchi had 2 servings! My guests loved it too! I also made your cucumber recipe (sunomono), another hit!
Hi Mary! Congrats on your homemade kimchi! It must be so good (and I’m jealous!). So happy to hear your husband enjoyed this dish. This is one of my favorite quick meal and I now have to make it this week! I’m hungry thinking about this dish… thanks for trying Sunomono recipe too! xo
Oh such a great site Nami! I like the details, I’m on my first steps of Japanese cuisine. I think your website will help me a lot. By the way, I love fried rice :P. What do you think I I add some green peas?
Hi Chef Bega,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback.
Sure! Adding the green peas sounds great.