Kimchi Egg Fried Rice
Day-old rice tossed in a hot pan with kimchi, soy sauce and sesame oil, then topped with a soft-set fried egg. A fast, savory one-pan dinner that comes together in minutes.
- Total
- 17 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 12
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Stir-frying · Absorption rice
- Savory
- Quick
- Asian
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear, then drain. Put it in a small saucepan with 225 ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender, about 10 minutes.
~10 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the grains cook separately instead of clumping into sticky rice.
Use rice cooked a day ahead and chilled: the grains stay separate and toast instead of steaming. Freshly cooked rice releases too much moisture and turns the stir-fry gluey.
Absorption rice Use the lid-on, low-simmer method and wait until the water is fully absorbed. Lifting the lid releases steam and slows cooking.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the rice cooks, slice the spring onions thinly, keeping the white and green parts separate. Chop the kimchi into 2 cm pieces. In a small bowl, stir the soy sauce with the sesame oil.
~3 min
-
Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the white spring onion parts and the kimchi and stir-fry until the kimchi softens and its edges begin to caramelize, about 2 minutes.
~2 min
Cooking the kimchi until its edges brown builds deep savory flavor through caramelization before the rice goes in.
Let the kimchi caramelize against the hot pan before the rice goes in. That browned edge is where the dish gets its depth, so do not rush this step.
Stir-frying Keep the pan hot and the food moving so grains toast instead of steam. A crowded pan drops the temperature and makes the rice soggy.
-
Add the cooked rice to the pan and stir-fry, breaking up any clumps, until the grains are hot and lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce mixture and toss until every grain is glossy, about 30 seconds.
~2 min
Day-old rice is dry, so high heat toasts the grains rather than steaming them into a gluey mass.
Stir-frying Keep the pan hot and the food moving so grains toast instead of steam. A crowded pan drops the temperature and makes the rice soggy.
-
Push the rice to one side of the pan. Crack the eggs into the clear space and fry until the whites are fully set and the yolks are still soft, about 2 minutes. Season the eggs with black pepper.
~2 min
-
Fold the eggs gently through the rice, scatter over the green spring onion parts, and serve straight from the pan.
~1 min