Easy Kimchi Fried Rice!
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott/Not Quite Nigella
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Serves 1-2 people
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (plus extra at the end)
- 2 cups cooked rice (I used Thai red cargo rice, if using white rice use day old rice)
- Oil for frying
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced
- 3/4 cup chopped kim chi
- 3 rashers Korean pork belly or bulgogi, sliced (you can also use bacon)
- 2 tablespoon gochujang whisked with 4 tablespoons hot water (use half the quantity if you don't like it too spicy)
- 2 tablespoons spring onions or chives
- Toasted sesame seeds
Step 1 - Add the sugar and sesame oil to the rice and mix. Set aside.
Step 2 - Add oil to a frying pan and fry the egg as a thin omelette. Turn over and cook on the other side and remove from pan. Slice into thin strips and set aside.
Step 3 - Add some more oil to the pan and fry the onion until translucent. Add the pork belly slices and then the kim chi and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the cooked, seasoned rice and pour over the gochujang liquid. Stir well coating the rice for 2-3 minutes until cooked through and seasoned all over. Add the egg back into the wok and then serve with spring onions and sesame seeds.
Personal Note
By sheer coincidence, during high school two of my close friends were Russian. It's not like I went to a school that had a high proportion of Russian students. There were three in my year and two of them were close friends. It was during the last week of year 12 that Sasha turned to me and said, "Are your family from Japan? Or is it China?".
I looked at her slightly stunned and when I asked her what she meant she said, "Well I know you're from Asia somewhere (gesturing) but I don't know where." I didn't know how to take the statement as we were best friends. I guess life was simpler in high school and when you were from or your tribe was not such a big issue. I honestly don't believe that she cared either way. And maybe it never occurred to her to ask or find out.
I thought of Sasha when I was making this recipe because this is an "Asian" recipe!