PhD-style kimchi fried rice (vegetarian/vegan options available)

Vietnamese version (bản tiếng Việt): click here!

Last week, I didn’t know why I was craving for kimchi fried rice so bad that I had to make a trip to Asian grocery store for some kimchi and tasty mushrooms. I did get a really nice package of whole-cabbage kimchi, which is not too spicy and it just has the right level of acidity (I bet my boyfriend would also like it). Since I’m not following vegetarian/vegan diets, I used traditional kimchi, which has fish sauce in it, and I had egg(s) in my fried rice. If you are a vegan or vegetarian, just skip the egg part and use vegan kimchi instead, it’s readily available in Asian and American grocery stores.

For anyone who looks for an authentic version of Kimchi fried rice, check out the recipe from Maangchi here! I watched the video again after I made my own kimchi fried rice… and I realized that I forgot the dried seaweed… Dried seaweed does make the fried rice taste much better, so don’t forget to buy some prior cooking kimchi fried rice. All the mentioned veggies are optional, as long as you have the kimchi and rice, then that’s good.

You might wonder, why do I mostly share vegan/vegetarian recipes (or include vegan/vegetarian options) these days even though I’m a meat lover?
Well… my best friend is practicing a vegetarian diet, and I want to support her by sharing some delicious and easy recipes that she could make for her daily meals. And I guess, that’s what friends are for. Vegetarian/vegan dishes are delicious, too! So, why not?

Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

• Whole-cabbage kimchi (traditional or vegan): 1 cup of cut kimchi
• Carrot: 1/2 cup (~ 120 grams, optional)
• Green beans: 1/2 cup (~ 120 grams, optional)
• Leftover cooked rice: 2 cups (~ 450 grams)
• King oyster mushrooms: 1 whole mushroom
• Shiitake mushrooms: 5 whole mushrooms
• Egg: 1-2 whole eggs (up to personal preference)
• Sweet onion: 1/4 of the whole onion
• Garlic: 2 cloves
• Shallot: 1/2 clove
• Soy sauce: 3 tablespoons (~ 45 mL)
• Sugar: 1 teaspoon (optional, to balance the sour and salty taste from kimchi and soy sauce)
• Black/White pepper: 1 teaspoon
• Sesame oil: 1/2 tablespoon
• Cilantro and spring onion as garnish

Preparation:

• Cut the whole-cabbage kimchi to bite-size pieces (I cut the kimchi with a scissor so that I won’t lose any single drop of kimchi juice). With carrot, sweet onion and mushrooms, dice them into small pieces.
• Finely chop the garlic and shallot then add them to the preheat pan/wok at medium heat, together with some cooking oil. Stir until fragrant.
• Whisk the egg(s) until homogenized then add to the hot pan/wok and fry until fully cooked. Don’t forget to stir around to break the egg(s) into small pieces.
• Add the mushrooms and vegetables (diced carrots, green beans, sweet onions and kimchi), stir-fry for 5 minutes (short-time stir fry to avoid water released from veggies and mushrooms).
• Add the leftover cooked rice to the wok/pan, then add soy sauce & sugar and stir well to mix everything together for around 5 minutes (could be less than that).
• Turn off the heat and the PhD-style kimchi fried rice is ready to be served. Top with fresh chop cilantro, spring onions, black/white pepper and sesame oil when serving.

Total time: 15 minutes

Notes:

• In the original recipe of Maangchi, she used hot rice, kimchi juice and gochujang. I guessed she took advantage of the saltiness from the kimchi juice that she didn’t have to add more seasoning. Indeed, the gochujang would add more red color to the fried rice but at the same time the spicy taste! I would not recommend adding the gochujang if you can’t handle spicy food. Also, using hot rice make the fried rice pretty wet and easy to stick to the pan (even though nonstick pan is used) so I would prefer the leftover cold rice in this recipe.
• Here, I use the shiitake and king oyster mushrooms because they are readily available in Asian grocery stores in America. They also have the meat-like texture, which goes well with stir-fry dishes. Just don’t use enoki mushroom, it would make your fried rice so wet. Its high-water content is more suitable for soup and grill. Oh, check out the video below for how to choose the right mushroom for your dish. Super helpful!!

And that’s it for this recipe! Hope you enjoy it then!