Recipe: Kimchi ‘Fridge Raid' Fried Rice
This is a no–recipe recipe that you can make with all matter of leftover vegetables in your fridge. It’s so quick to make, and is ideal for speedy dinners or pre–cooked packed lunches. I don’t profess to be an expert in Korean cooking, but kimchi fried rice is a popular Korean home cooked meal that is a great way to use up kimchi that is over ripening. I always have a jar of kimchi on the go, and I love the way the rich and spicy flavour and red colour infuses the whole dish without much need for any other seasoning.
The key to success with any fried rice is that you must use cold, leftover rice (the same goes for fried noodles). The rice grains need to be dry and firm and not to turn to mush in the pan, so to this point, it’s best to avoid short grain or glutinous rice, which tends to stick together. Go for a medium to long grain, such as basmati or jasmine, or even a mixture of grains – I often cook a grain mix that is half wholegrain rice, half quinoa, millet, buckwheat and so on. I’ll let you in on a secret; I’ve noticed that the supermarkets are starting to sell pre–cooked grains in packets like this. While I admit it’s a waste of packaging and not entirely cost effective, I’ve found it very useful to keep a few in my pantry and noticed that they do indeed make a good fried rice base!
The other useful tip is not to add too many ingredients into the pan. I like to fry the rice first, while pre-cooking the vegetables to add in at the end. This allows the rice to really crisp up.
Stay tuned for some other experiments on cooking with pickles and ferments.
A note on salt: kimchi already contains a lot of salt so I would advise against using any extra salt in your seasoning. I personally couldn’t resist adding a little soy sauce to balance out the sour tanginess of kimchi, but it’s up to you.
Let me know if you try this recipe and share your results on Instagram with #CelestialPeach.
Ingredients (serves 4 as a side)
2 cups cooked cold, leftover rice
1/2 cup finely chopped kimchi, water squeezed out and retained
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Fresh vegetables, chopped into small uniform pieces – ideally veg with some crunch and not too much water such as carrots, peas, sweetcorn and bell peppers
Sesame seeds and fresh herbs to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Parboil or steam the chopped vegetables for a few minutes and set aside.
Break up the rice and make sure there are no clumps.
Heat the oil in a large pan or wok to smoking point, then start frying the rice on high heat, moving everything quickly (2–3 minutes).
When the rice starts to brown and smell fragrant, add the chopped kimchi. Keep everything moving and allow the kimchi to mix with all the rice grains.
Add the pre–cooked vegetables for the last few minutes as well as the reserved kimchi juice and soy sauce. Increase the heat if necessary so that it remains hot throughout and all the liquids evaporate.
If you like your fried rice a bit burnt and crunchy, refrain from stirring too much so that the rice sticks to the pan, then break it up with a spatula.
