Kimchi Fried Rice with Fried Egg
Day-old rice fried with tangy kimchi, gochujang, and scallions, topped with a crisp-edged fried egg.
Kimchi bokkeumbap is the dish most Korean home cooks make when the kimchi in the fridge has gotten a little too sour to eat straight — cooking it down with rice mellows that sharpness into something deeply savory. Using rice that's a day old and slightly dried out is the real trick, since fresh rice turns gummy in the pan.
This is a simple, satisfying dish built around a vegetable that's already fermented and well-seasoned, so it doesn't need much beyond a splash of gochujang and sesame oil to come together, and the fried egg on top brings the protein and richness that ties the whole bowl together. It works equally well as a fast breakfast or a lazy lunch.
Use whatever kimchi you have on hand — the more fermented and tangy it is, the better this dish turns out.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked rice — day-old, cold
- 1.5 cups kimchi — chopped, plus 2 tbsp of its juice
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp sesame oil — plus more for frying eggs
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 3 scallions — sliced
- 1 tsp tamari
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp sesame seeds — for garnish
These ingredients are common at South Asian grocers; a well-stocked international supermarket usually carries them too.
Instructions
- 1Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kimchi and cook 3-4 minutes until slightly caramelized.
- 2Stir in the gochujang and kimchi juice, then add the cold rice, breaking up any clumps.
- 3Fry, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until the rice is heated through and slightly crisp in spots. Stir in the tamari and sesame oil, and most of the scallions.
- 4In a separate pan, fry the eggs in a little sesame oil until the whites are set and the yolk is still runny.
- 5Divide the fried rice among bowls, top each with a fried egg, and garnish with remaining scallions and sesame seeds.