Updated: Jul 6, 2023 by Marc Matsumoto · 66 Comments

Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi Fried Rice, or Kimchi Bokkeumbap (볶음밥), is a simple, delicious fried rice recipe that's made with mature kimchi, rice, and just a handful of other ingredients. The trick is in how the ingredients are combined, which can turn it into one of the most flavorful rice dishes ever.

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Spicy and loaded wtih flavor, this easy kimchi fried rice with a fried egg on top comes together from just a handful of ingredients.

Best Kimchi Fried Rice Recipe

When you're craving a little comfort but don't have more than a few minutes to spend cooking, I can't think of many recipes that are a better fit than Kimchi Fried rice, or Kimchi Bokkeumbap (볶음밥). It's a simple dish that's best made with aged kimchi, but there are a few things you can do to elevate this classic Korean comfort food to the next level and I'm going to show you how.

Best Kimchi Fried Rice Recipe
Why this Recipe Works
Ingredients for Kimchi Fried Rice
How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice
Other Kimchi Recipes
FAQ

Why this Recipe Works

Fried rice should be fluffy and flaky, not dense and mushy. To achieve this, I use leftover rice that's been in the fridge for at least a day and then coat the rice with sesame oil. This not only infuses it with flavor, but it also separates the individual grains so you can stir-fry the rice.
Good fried rice should also have some Maillard browning on each grain of rice. Since temperatures in the pan need to get above the boiling point of water to start browning the ingredients, it's essential to minimize the amount of liquid added. Since kimchi is very juicy, I squeeze the juice out of the kimchi before stir-frying it. This allows you to brown the kimchi and rice before you add the juice back in at the very end to season everything.
Putting an egg on top makes most dishes better, but for kimchi fried rice, it's a must. I like topping my kimchi fried rice with a sunny-side up egg with a soft yolk that percolates down into the spicy rice.

Spicy and loaded with flavor, Kimchi Fried Rice is an easy meal that comes together from just a handful of ingredients.

Ingredients for Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi - It's best to use ripe kimchi, which has had a chance to mature and turn sour. This is going to give your fried rice the most flavor and umami.
Gochujang - Gochujang is a fermented chili paste that's both spicy and sweet. This adds a balancing sweetness to the rice, contrasting to the spicy kimchi and rich egg. If you want extra heat, you can also add gochugaru (korean chili pepper flakes).
Soy Sauce - Depending on how salty your kimchi is, you may not need the soy sauce, but my kimchi recipe is relatively low in salt, so I like to add a splash of soy sauce.
Toasted sesame oil - Coating the rice with toasted sesame oil helps separate the individual grains while infusing them with the nutty flavor of the oil.
Cooked rice - Kimchi fried rice is made with cooked short-grain rice. I recommend using day-old rice. This allows the starch in the rice to retrograde, which makes it much easier to flake apart. It won't have the same texture, but a long-grain rice like basmati or jasmine rice will work in a pinch.
Protein - Topping kimchi fried rice with a fried egg not only adds a splash of color, but the rich yolk also mellows out the heat of the kimchi while providing some protein that makes this a complete meal. I generally don't add meat to this dish, but ground beef, thinly sliced pork belly, or bacon are all delicious options if you want to bulk it up.
Garnish - I like to garnish my Kimchi Bokkeumbap with a scattering of chopped green onions, but toasted sesame seeds or gim (nori) are both wonderful alternatives.

How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice

The ingredients for this dish are about as simple as it gets, but because Kimchi is loaded with flavor, it doesn't need much else. The trick to making a fantastic Kimchi Bokkeumbap is all in the technique.

The first thing you want to do is squeeze the juices out of your Kimchi and measure them separately. It may seem a bit superfluous to squeeze out the juices of the Kimchi only to add them back in later, but I have two good reasons for doing this. The first is that we want to further deepen the flavors of the Kimchi by caramelizing it in a frying pan. When Kimchi is sopping wet, you won't reach the heat that you need to trigger Maillard browning. The second reason is that the amount of liquid in Kimchi is a bit unpredictable, and by measuring it out separately, we get just enough juice to flavor the rice without making it soggy.

The second trick is to drizzle some toasted sesame oil onto the rice and coat each grain with it before you throw it into the pan. This not only imparts the nutty flavor of the oil into the rice, but it also prevents the rice from clumping up and sticking together.

To make the fried rice, I always start by sautéing the squeezed Kimchi until it's well browned (think of it like onions or garlic). Then the rice goes in and gets heated through before the sauce goes over the rice.

Because the sauce is a large amount of liquid relative to the rice, it's important to continue tossing and stir-frying the rice until all of the liquid has evaporated. This includes the liquid that's been absorbed by the rice. You can tell when the rice is ready when it fluffs up and stops being sticky.

I also like to give the rice some time in the pan undisturbed, which causes it to brown, giving it a wonderful toasty flavor (like a good socarrat on the bottom of a good paella).

I'm one of those guys that believe the molten yolk of a sunny-side-up egg will make just about anything taste better, and it's especially true when you're talking about a plate of spicy umami-laden rice. If you're not a fan, you can scramble the egg into the browned Kimchi before adding the rice, or you can leave it out altogether.

Sunny-side-up egg on top of a bowl of spicy kimchi fried rice, or kimchi bokkeumbap.

Other Kimchi Recipes

FAQ

What is Kimchi Fried Rice?

Kimchi Fried Rice (볶음밥 - Kimchi Bokkeumbap), is a fried rice dish made by stir-frying Kimchi and rice together with some seasonings. It's a classic Korean comfort food that's made in households across the country to use up leftover rice and overripe Kimchi.

What kind of Kimchi is best for Kimchi Fried Rice?

If you've ever been to a Korean market, you know there are dozens of different types of Kimchi, but this dish works best with Baechu-kimchi (배추김치), which is the kind made with napa cabbage. You can get my kimchi recipe here.

As with a good kimchi jjigae, the secret to good Kimchi fried rice is to use a mature jar of Kimchi along with its juices. As it matures, Kimchi undergoes lactic acid fermentation, which converts the sugars in the cabbage into lactic acid. This not only makes the Kimchi taste sour, but it also increases the amount of glutamic acids (the compounds that create the taste of umami) as well as the depth of flavor in the Kimchi.

Is Kimchi Fried Rice vegan?

If you don't top it with an egg, Kimchi fried rice can be made plant-based. The one thing you need to watch out for is the Kimchi itself, which can sometimes contain seafood products such as brine shrimp or fish sauce. If you're buying your Kimchi, be sure to read the label carefully to ensure you're buying vegan kimchi.

Can I add meat to Kimchi Fried Rice?

Like most fried rice, Kimchi Bokkeumbap can be fixed up with other ingredients. Some ideas include adding some meat or fish, chopped up sausage or bacon, or crumbled firm tofu. I often improvise based on the leftovers I need to use up in the fridge, but to be honest, I like this basic version with an egg on top the most.

What goes well with Kimchi Fried Rice?

Kimchi fried rice makes for a satisfying main dish (especially with an egg on top), but if you decide to serve it as a side dish, it goes great with meat dishes like this Korean Fried Chicken or this Gochujang Braised Pork Belly. You can also check out my other Korean Recipes.

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