INGREDIENTS
3 cups pre-cooked white rice
1 cup homemade kimchi, chopped
¼ cup kimchi juice
¼ cup water
2 – 3 tablespoons gochujang
3 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 green onion, chopped
There are a lot of foods that are good the next day. Some foods are even better, but rice isn’t one of them. It dries out easily, reheating into a sticky mess, only getting a second chance at the dinner table by truly transforming itself. One such transformation is the classic fried rice, a little oily, a little crispy and great for pairing with heavier, saucier dishes.
Our recipe for fried rice takes leftover white rice and really makes it the star of the show with the addition of crunch and flavor from kimchi and a little burst of heat from gochujang, which is a prepared, Korean chili paste.
Step One. Prepare the pan
Over medium heat, add vegetable oil to a saute pan.
Step Two. Cook the kimchi
Add the kimchi, and saute for a minute.
Step Three. Build the rice
To the sauteing kimchi, combine the rice, kimchi juice, water and gochujang. Continue to cook for seven minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Step Four. Finish the rice
Remove the rice from heat, and add the sesame oil and green onion. Toss together and serve immediately.
This recipe makes a great side dish, but if you want to go all out and serve it as a main course, this recipe can be scaled up in a lot of fun ways. You could add a protein to it, like chicken, prawns, tempeh or tofu. It can also be finished with freshly chopped cucumbers and sesame seeds.