Kimchi Egg Fried Rice
Day-old rice crisped in a hot pan with kimchi, wilted spinach and soft-set egg. A fast, savory one-pan meal with a glossy kimchi glaze.
- Total
- 14 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 9
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Stir-frying · Searing
- Savory
- Quick
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
If the rice is freshly cooked, spread it on a plate and let it cool for 5 minutes so the grains firm up. Chop the kimchi into 2 cm pieces and keep any juices. Pick over the spinach and tear large leaves in half. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, add a pinch of the salt and beat with a fork until the yolk and white are just combined.
~5 min
Cooling fresh rice firms the grains so they crisp instead of steaming and turning sticky.
Cold, day-old rice has drier grains that crisp instead of steaming; if you only have fresh rice, the 5-minute cool in step 1 is what keeps the dish from turning sticky.
-
Set a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tsp of the oil. Pour in the beaten eggs and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, stirring gently, until softly scrambled and just set but still glossy. Slide the eggs onto a plate and set aside.
~1 min
Gentle stirring over medium-high heat keeps the eggs soft and glossy before they finish cooking in the rice.
-
Add the remaining 2 tsp oil to the same pan over high heat. Add the rice, press it into an even layer and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes so the bottom grains crisp and turn golden. Stir, press down again and cook 2 minutes more until the rice is hot and lightly toasted.
~4 min
Pressing rice into the hot pan and leaving it undisturbed lets the bottom grains toast and crisp.
Press the rice against the hot pan and leave it alone for the full 2 minutes: that untouched contact is what builds the toasted, slightly chewy crust.
Searing Press the rice into an even layer and leave it untouched for the full 2 minutes; the golden crust forms only where rice meets hot pan without stirring.
-
Add the kimchi with its juices to the pan and stir-fry for 1 minute until it sizzles and smells tangy. Add the spinach and toss for 1 to 2 minutes until it wilts and turns deep green.
~3 min
High heat sizzles the kimchi, driving off moisture and concentrating its tangy, savory glaze.
Stir-frying Keep the pan hot and toss constantly so the kimchi and spinach sizzle rather than steam; stop as soon as the greens wilt to keep their color.
-
Return the scrambled eggs to the pan, add the remaining salt and the black pepper and toss everything together for 1 minute until the rice is glossy and the eggs are heated through. Taste and adjust the salt. Serve straight from the pan.
~1 min
Stir-frying Keep the pan hot and toss constantly so the kimchi and spinach sizzle rather than steam; stop as soon as the greens wilt to keep their color.