This healthy bowl incorporates fermented vegetable, sprouted brown and red rice, shiitake mushroom, seaweed, and black sesame for a load of nutrients. Smokey bacon and hearty potatoes take this umami-packed kimchi fried rice to a whole new level of yumminess.
If you ask a hundred people who make kimchi fried rice, they would tell you different ways. When I make my kimchi fried rice, I want to maximize nutrition and taste. This recipe is also a great way to use up older kimchi. Check out my apple-fermented kimchi and keto kimchi if you are looking for kimchi recipes with a little twist. Watch the video for how easy it is to make the kimchi fried rice.
Kimchi Fried Rice Ingredients
Here are the ingredients in my kimchi fried rice. I included preparation tips for some of them, because they are important for the success of this recipe, or useful in case of the less common ingredients. Although I showed these ingredients in the video in the sequence they are used so it’s easier to see what goes into the dish next, I recommend preparing all the ingredients before you start cooking, like chopping the vegetables and making the sauce, etc.
- Bacon: I always buy bacon made from naturally-raised pork. Because toxins are often stored in fat cells, it’s important to prioritize getting your animal fat from a good brand/source.
- Yellow onion
- Potato: Make sure to dice your potato very small, so that they are easily cooked through. I cut my potato into 1/4-inch cubes.
- Garlic
- Shiitake mushroom: I used and prefer fresh shiitake mushrooms in the fried rice. You could use dried ones as well, but be sure to rehydrate them ahead of time. The stems are tougher to eat. I always remove them and keep them in the freezer to make broth later. You can add your shiitake stems in this Asian chicken bone broth.
- Kimchi: Squeeze out the kimchi juice from the kimchi before chopping them. Otherwise, you will make a mess and waste the tasty juice.
- Kimchi juice: Use kimchi juice to thin out the gochujang to make a sauce. This will make it easier to incorporate the gochujang into the fried rice. Kimchi juice also adds extra flavour. If your kimchi doesn’t come with enough juice, you can use a little water instead.
- Gochujang: This is a Korean fermented red pepper paste made from gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper powder). Gochujang usually contains rice, soybean and barley too. Please check your product label if you have dietary restriction.
- Soy sauce
- Rice (see “tips on rice” section for more details)
- Sesame oil: Only drizzle at the end, because sesame oil is not suitable for high-heat cooking.
- Roasted seaweed (optional): Sea vegetables are nutritious and flavourful addition to jazz up the dish. Although it’s an optional ingredient for garnish, I highly recommend it. This is not the seaweed you use to wrap sushi, but the kind that is sold as a snack. You need to cut the small sheets into thin strips using a pair of scissors first.
- Toasted black sesame seeds (optional): Another optional garnish that adds both nutrients and flavour. If you only have raw sesame seeds, toast them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring consistently, until they are fragrant.
- Sunny-side-up eggs (optional)
- Ground black pepper (optional)
Tips on Rice
Sprouted Whole Grains
As you can see in the photo and video, I used a brown and red rice blend. For the past 15 years, I have been eating mostly whole grains. To properly prepare whole grain rice, we need to soak the rice for a minimum of 8 hours. I usually extend that time to 2 to 3 days, changing water every 8 to 12 hours. This will allow the rice to germinate and maximize the nutritional value of the whole grains. Here is more details on how to grow any kind of sprouts using grains, seeds and legumes at home, and the health benefits.
You may have seen those expensive GABA rice sold in health food stores. GABA rice is basically sprouted rice. Once germinated, rice contains higher amount of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) that is very beneficial for the nervous system and brain health, along with higher content of numerous other nutrients, like iron, zinc, magnesium and vitamin E. Germinated rice also tastes better and is easier to digest.
You can only make GABA rice from whole grains, like the brown rice and red rice I used. If you cook with white rice, the soaking process won’t do anything to increase nutritional value, because white rice will not sprout. However, you can still use regular white rice in this kimchi fried rice recipe.
Leftover Rice
Believe it or not, leftover rice makes way better fried rice than using fresh ones. Old rice loses some of its moisture. This is perfect for making fried rice because the grains will not be sticking together. Freezing leftover rice works even better to separate all the rice grains once thawed.
I usually divide up my leftover rice into portions. I then put each portion in a separate ziplock bag and then freeze them. When I plan to make fried rice, I take out a portion of the old rice from the freezer, thaw it out overnight in the fridge or in the microwave right before cooking.
Does Cooking Kimchi Destroy All Health Benefits?
No, cooking kimchi doesn’t destroy all health benefits. Cooking does kill the probiotic bacteria in kimchi, but probiotic isn’t the only benefit of fermented vegetables.
Traditional cultures ferment vegetables throughout history as a main method to preserve peak season produce. Fermentation also makes the vegetables more nutritious, more flavourful, easier to digest and faster to cook.
Kimchi adds so much flavour in cooked dishes, like this stir-fried kimchi and pork belly and this ribs and kimchi noodle soup.
Related: More Healthy Rice Dishes You Will Love
- Vegan Fried Rice with Cumin and Potato
- Keto Cauliflower Fried Rice /w Hot Dog and Eggs
- Low-Carb Saffron Cauliflower Rice Risotto
Kimchi Fried Rice
Ingredients
Kimchi Fried Rice
- 3 tablespoons gochujang
- 3 tablespoons kimchi juice or water
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 4 bacon strips cut into small bite size
- 1 medium yellow onion cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 small potatoes peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms stems removed and thinly sliced
- 1 cup tightly-packed kimchi juice removed and roughly chopped
- 3 cups leftover cooked rice thawed if previously frozen; I use sprouted brown and red rice
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Garnish (Optional)
- 1 cup thin strips of roasted seaweed
- 3 sunny-side-up eggs
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons toasted black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients. In a small bowl, mix gochujang, kimchi juice and soy sauce. If your kimchi doesn't come with enough juice, add a little water to make up the difference.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add bacon and stir continuously for 2 minutes, until the bacon starts to turn a light golden colour and the fat is cooked out of the bacon.
- Add onion to the pan and continue frying for another minute.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add potato, garlic and shiitake mushrooms to the pan. Stir for 5 minutes.
- Add rice, kimchi and the sauce to the pan. Stir everything together for another 5 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Turn off the heat. Drizzle with sesame oil, and flip the rice again to fold in the sesame oil.
- Serve the rice hot in individual bowls. Sprinkle a handful of seaweed strips on the rice, then top with a freshly-made sunny-side-up egg, black pepper and sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- I use and prefer fresh shiitake mushrooms in the fried rice. You could use dried ones as well, but be sure to rehydrate them ahead of time. The stems are tougher to eat. I always remove them and keep them in the freezer to make broth later. You can add your shiitake stems in this Asian chicken bone broth.
- I always buy bacon made from naturally-raised pork. Because toxins are often stored in fat cells, it’s important to prioritize getting your animal fat from a good brand/source.
- You can buy GABA rice from health food store, or sprout whole grain rice at home. You can also use regular white rice in this recipe.
- I usually divide up my leftover rice into portions. I then put each portion in a separate ziplock bag and then freeze them. When I plan to make fried rice, I take out a portion of the old rice from the freezer, thaw it out overnight in the fridge or in the microwave right before cooking.
- Squeeze out the kimchi juice from the kimchi before chopping them. Otherwise, you will make a mess and waste the tasty juice.
- Do not use the seaweed you wrap sushi with, but use the kind that is sold as a snack. You need to cut the small sheets into thin strips using a pair of scissors first.
- If only raw sesame seeds are available, toast them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring consistently, until they are fragrant.
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