Gochujang Fried Rice - Bokkeumbap

This gochujang fried rice with kimchi or Korean Bokkeumbap dish is topped with fried eggs. It uses leftover rice, and it's ready in 10 minutes.

Easy bokkeumbap or Korean fried rice with gochujang paste and kimchi.

I have been so much into Korean (and Japanese) food lately that I cannot get enough of it. When it comes to Korean food, it all started with a rather large container of gochujang paste (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). I bought it to make some Korean oven-baked chicken wings, and I was hooked.

I've made those particular gpchujang chicken wings several times already; I used it to marinate honey soy chicken drumsticks and to make an amazing Korean chicken stew.

What is gochujang?

• Gochujang paste is a Korean fermented condiment containing chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt.
• It comes in several heat degrees; pay attention to that when purchasing gochujang paste.
• My medium gochujang paste is really hot; I always use slightly less than instructed in a recipe.

What is kimchi?

• Kimchi is a Korean dish of pickled vegetables. The best-known kind of kimchi in our parts of the world is made with napa cabbage.
• But otherwise, there are dozens and dozens of different kinds of kimchi. You could make it with other vegetables like white cabbage, different sorts of radishes, carrots, cucumber, and so on. The kimchi I buy is usually made with white cabbage.
• In order to make kimchi, the vegetables are fermented with lactic acid bacteria and spiced with Korean red pepper gochugaru.
• Korean kimchi is full of nutrients and healthy microbes.
• The fermentation with the lactic acid bacteria is a natural process in which the bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food, creating the lactic acid and thus preserving the food.
• This natural fermentation preserves the nutrients in the vegetables and makes them more digestible. Probiotics (good live bacteria and yeasts) are also formed during the fermentation process. This good bacteria helps improve digestion, boost immunity, and maintain a healthy weight.

How to make gochujang fried rice?

Cook rice or use leftovers:

• The rice has to be cooked and cooled already. Rice leftovers can be used instead.
• The best kind of rice for Korean bokkeumbap is short-grain white rice. But if I happen to have basmati or plain rice leftovers, I would use those as well. The consistency will be a bit different, but the dish will be equally delicious.
• It needs to be cooked in advance, ideally the day before, but you could also cook it on the day you are cooking and leave it until completely cool.

Cook kimchi and vegetables:

• Chop the kimchi, leek, and green bell pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over high heat. Add the kimchi, leeks, green pepper, and scallion whites and stir-fry for about 3 minutes.

• In a small bowl, whisk together the kimchi juice, gochujang paste, and soy sauce. Add the mixture to the skillet along with the cooked rice.
• Mix well to combine and fry on medium-low heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the rice is hot. Stir in the sesame seed oil and remove it from the heat.
• Use gochujang paste to taste. I have seen recipes using 2 or 3 tablespoons of the paste, but that is definitely too hot for us. I added one tablespoon of gochujang sauce to our kimchi fried rice and found that perfect. You could start with about ¾ tablespoons and add more to taste.
• I like adding a small amount of roasted sesame seed oil to many Asian dishes I cook at home. It is not mandatory, you should not buy it just for one dish, but if you have it or plan to cook more Asian food during the next months, then do get a small bottle of it.

Garnishing and Serving

• I also add some roasted sesame seeds on top of the finished Gochujang fried rice, they are almost a must for any Korean dish I happen to cook lately.
• I serve the dish topped with fried eggs, one or two per person; you can decide that. You can fry the eggs to your liking; the yolk can be runny or set. The egg yolks in the pictures are rather set (kids don't like them runny), but personally, I would always go for a runny yolk; I should have taken mine out of the frying pan one minute earlier…
• Sprinkle the kimchi fried rice with the chopped scallion greens and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds.

Bokkeumbap - Gochujang Fried Rice

Korean Bokkeumbap or Gochujang fried rice with kimchi, this spicy rice is addictive!

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Pasta and Rice

Cuisine: Korean

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 354kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1⅓ cups uncooked short-grain rice 300 g or about 4 cups/ 300 g, 1.3 lbs/ 600 g cooked rice, Note 1
• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
• ▢ 2½ cups kimchi 9 oz/ 250 g
• ▢ 1 small leek about 5.5 oz/ 150 g
• ▢ ½ green bell pepper
• ▢ 3 spring onions
• ▢ 4 tablespoons kimchi juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon gochujang paste Note 2
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
• ▢ 4 eggs

Instructions

• Chop the kimchi, leek, and green bell pepper. Chop the whites of the spring onions, leaving the greens to garnish the dish.
• Saute vegetables: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over high heat. Add the kimchi, leeks, green pepper, and scallion whites and stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
• Add gochujang mixture: Whisk kimchi juice, gochujang paste, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the skillet together with the cooked rice. Mix well to combine and fry on medium-low heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the rice is hot. Stir in the sesame seed oil and remove from the heat.
• Fry the eggs: Heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pan. Fry the eggs to your liking.
• Sprinkle the kimchi fried rice with the chopped scallion greens and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately with the fried eggs.

Notes

1. Rice: Ideally, the rice should be cooked one day in advance. If cooking the rice on the same day, make sure it is completely cool before making the kimchi fried rice. 1 ⅓ cups/ 300 g/ 10.5 oz uncooked rice yields more or less about 4 cups/ 600 g/ 1.3 lbs of cooked rice.
2. Gochujang paste: Start with ¾ tablespoon gochujang paste and increase the amount (up to 3 tablespoons – very hot!) according to your heat tolerance.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the dish | Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 1051mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g

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