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    Home » Recipes » 30 Minute Meals
    Jan 14, 2022(updated Sep 11, 2023)

    Kimchi Fried Rice

    5 from 1 vote

    2 Comments

    by Becca Du

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    kimchi fried rice recipe

    When I was a poor college kid, I used to go to this cluster of Asian restaurants near the Berkeley campus called Asian Ghetto. One of my go-to places here was called Bear Ramen, but I would rarely get ramen here. I would normally get their kimchi fried rice. No I wasn’t crazy. The fried rice was just better in my opinion! It was the ultimate comfort food especially when I had mountains of school work on the horizon. Their fried rice had kimchi stir fried together with rice, spam, and some mixed veggies. Thinking about those moments right now brings back so many wonderful memories. Since then, I’ve never made kimchi fried rice myself, so this recipe is my first attempt at making it from scratch.

    kimchi fried rice recipe

    What is kimchi fried rice?

    Kimchi fried rice is a variation on traditional Chinese fried rice which is a dish made by sautéing a protein, vegetables, and rice. The biggest difference between both dishes are the ingredients used. Kimchi fried rice uses ingredients that are more commonly used in Korean cuisine like spam and kimchi. However, the technique used is the same.

    Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

    • Spam – I love having spam in my fried rice. I personally use low sodium spam to reduce the sodium in my dish. If you don’t like spam, I would recommend leaving it out of your dish. You can also use other proteins like chicken, pork, and beef.
    • Kimchi – Kimchi gives the dish its red color, and it balances out the rich flavors of the other ingredients.
    • Frozen vegetables – I’ve always used frozen vegetables in my fried rice because they’re easy to store and easy to cook with. You can also use fresh vegetables if you want to. I would cook the fresh vegetables longer if you choose to use them.
    • Cooked rice – It’s better to use cooked rice because some of the moisture has left the rice, so it doesn’t get too soggy from all the other ingredients you add to the dish (kimchi, soy sauce, sesame oil).
    • Dark soy sauce – Adds color and umami flavor to the dish. You can also use regular soy sauce as a substitute and tamari as a gluten free substitute.
    • Sesame oil – Adds more flavor to the dish. If you don’t have sesame oil, leave it out.
    kimchi fried rice recipe

    My search for good Korean food

    Since moving to San Francisco, I’ve searched the city for the best Korean food and unfortunately, have come up short. There are a few solid options near downtown like Zzan, 707 Sutter, and Cocobang but nothing compared to the East Bay or Koreatown in LA.  One of my goals this year is to learn how to cook more Korean dishes, so I can enjoy them at home.

    A simple kimchi fried rice recipe

    I really didn’t want to do anything too complicated with this recipe because the beauty in this dish comes from its simplicity. I first stir fried the spam and kimchi together in a teaspoon of oil. After a minute or 2, I add in day old rice, sesame oil, a dash of dark soy sauce, and frozen veggies. I stir it around for another minute or two and it’s done! Finally, sometimes I top it all off with a fried egg which I didn’t do here.

    kimchi fried rice recipe

    Did you make this dish?

    If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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    kimchi fried rice recipe

    Kimchi Fried Rice

    Becca Du
    This kimchi fried rice recipe is made with kimchi, spam, and frozen vegetables, and it all comes together in less than 30 minutes.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Korean
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 153 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ½ cup spam cut into 1 inch pieces
    • ½ cup kimchi cut into 1 inch pieces
    • ½ cup frozen vegetables
    • ⅔ cup cooked rice
    • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
    • 1 tsp sesame oil

    Instructions
     

    • Using a large pan, saute spam and kimchi for about 1 minute.
    • Add in the rice, vegetables, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir and cook for another minute.
    • Season with pepper to taste and serve.

    Notes

    Optional: You can top it off with a fried egg.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 153kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 6gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 512mgPotassium: 178mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1155IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword kimchi fried rice, kimchi fried rice recipe
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    Comments

    1. Bryan says

      January 30, 2019 at 10:46 am

      Your rice looks delicious! I definitely wanted to make this now haha it’s a great recipe, thank you!

      Reply
      • Becca says

        January 30, 2019 at 11:42 am

        Thank you so much Bryan! Kimchi fried rice is such a classic but simple recipe 🙂 Enjoy!

        Reply

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    About Me


    Hello I'm Becca! I believe any day can be made better with a bowl of noodle soup. Here you will find recipes from my Chinese/Vietnamese heritage and stories from my experience living here in beautiful LA. Grab a drink and stay awhile! Read More

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