Kimchi Fried Rice with Fried Egg and Sesame
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats, NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Day-old rice fried with ripe kimchi, onion, butter and Korean chilli flakes until crisp on the base, then topped with a fully set fried egg, sesame seeds and seaweed. Tangy, spicy and savoury, it is a fast and filling bowl.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Separate the rice. Break the cold rice into separate grains with your hands, rubbing out any clumps. Chilled, day-old rice has dried out slightly on the surface, so the grains fry and crisp rather than turning sticky.
- 2
Cook the kimchi. Heat the 2 tbsp oil in the large pan over medium-high heat and cook the onion and spring onion whites for 4-5 minutes until soft and lightly browned. Add the kimchi, its juice, the butter and the chilli flakes and cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring, until the kimchi is soft and most of the liquid has gone. Cooking off the juice concentrates its sour, savoury flavour and stops the rice going soggy.
- 3
Fry the rice. Add the rice, turn the heat to medium, and stir and fold for 3 minutes until every grain is coloured, then add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Spread the rice out, raise the heat to medium-high and leave it for 3-4 minutes, stirring only once or twice, until it sticks and crisps on the base and is piping hot all the way through (74°C). Leaving it undisturbed lets a crunchy, toasty crust form. Keep it warm on very low heat.
- 4
Fry the eggs. Heat the 1 tbsp oil in the second pan over medium heat and crack in the eggs. After 2 minutes, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes more until both whites and yolks are completely set (71°C). The lid traps steam, which cooks the top of the eggs through without burning the base.
- 5
Assemble the bowls. Divide the rice among 4 bowls and top each with an egg. Scatter over the spring onion greens, sesame seeds and seaweed strips. The fresh greens and nori add a clean, crisp contrast to the rich, tangy rice.
Storage
Cool quickly, refrigerate within 1 hour and use within 24 hours. Reheat once only until piping hot (74°C), and cook fresh eggs to serve rather than reheating them. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- large nonstick frying pan or wok (30 cm)
- wooden spoon or spatula
- nonstick frying pan with a lid (24-26 cm)
- instant-read probe thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 488 kcal |
| Protein | 13.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 58.6 g |
| of which sugars | 3.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 22.4 g |
| of which saturates | 4.9 g |
| Fibre | 4.1 g |
| Salt | 1.66 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.7 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
