A while ago, my friend invited me to dinner at a Korean fusion restaurant. I ordered kimchi fried rice and immediately realized that it would be really easy for me to make at home. A few weeks later I picked up some kimchi from one of the small grocery stores and attempted to replicate that dinner.
Of course, I changed a few things from what I remembered at the restaurant. The first time I made this, I used eggs, but have since changed to tofu as a healthier option. I also tend to add more vegetables and spices–I usually add garlic and green onions, or even cubanelle peppers or carrots.
This is a really easy recipe to follow. It’s also fairly healthy and cheap (for those budget-conscious travel savers, this meal costs about $6).
- 10-12 oz. of kimchi
- 2 blocks of firm tofu (softer tofu would probably work too)
- 1 cup of brown rice
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 green onions
- Any other vegetables you feel like throwing in
Chop the kimchi if it comes in large pieces — you really don’t want large chunks of anything in fried rice. Cut the tofu into small squares — they can be larger since they’ll likely break into smaller pieces while cooking.
Heat the cooking oil in a wok and toss in the tofu for about 5 minutes. Then throw in the garlic, green onions, and any other vegetables you want before adding the cooked rice. Pour the kimchi and all the liquid it comes with over the rice and mix it around in the wok for a couple more minutes.
Because I like my fried rice spicy, I also add some chili powder and crushed red pepper. I’ve found that there’s no need to add any salt to this.
This recipe makes enough for three people (or at least two very large bowls). And it tastes fine as leftovers.
Any suggestions for improving this recipe are certainly welcome.
