Kimchi fried rice * or ''kimchi-bokkeum-bap'' () is a variety of ''

bokkeum-bap ''Bokkeum-bap'' () or fried rice is a Korean dish made by stir-frying ''bap'' (cooked rice) with other ingredients in oil. * The name of the most prominent ingredient other than cooked rice often appears at the very front of the name of the dis ...

'' ("fried rice"), a popular dish in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. ''Kimchi fried rice'' is made primarily with

kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...

and

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

, along with other available ingredients, such as diced vegetables or meats like spam.

Ingredients

Leftover chilled rice and over-ripened kimchi are usually preferred in preparing kimchi fried rice Over-ripened kimchi can also be used for cooking ''

kimchi jjigae ''Kimchi-jjigae'' * () or kimchi stew is a ''jjigae'', or stew-like Korean dish, made with ''kimchi'' and other ingredients, such as pork or seafood, scallions, onions, and diced tofu. It is one of the most common stews in Korean cuisine. ...

''. as they can produce a richer flavor and texture as opposed to freshly-made kimchi and rice. In preliminary preparation, surplus ''"kimchiso"'' (

hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 김치소), kimchi filling, mostly shredded

radish The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman times. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, being mostly eaten raw ...

green onions "Green Onions" is an instrumental composition recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Described as "one of the most popular instrumental rock and soul songs ever" and as one of "the most popular R&B instrumentals of its era", the tune is a ...

and

jeotgal ''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps, oysters, clams, fish, and roe. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby, solid piec ...

(fermented and salted seafood), are taken out from the kimchi. The kimchi is then squeezed to discard its brine. Without completing the process, the resultant dish can be mushy in texture. Along with kimchi and rice, kimchi fried rice can contain many kinds of ingredients.

Pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

or spam are the most common; however,

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...

, bacon,

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

canned tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...

, or shrimp can be used. Instead of meat,

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...

s can be used as a replacement, in which case the ingredient's name may be prefixed to the dish's name such as ''"beoseot-kimchi-bokkeum-bap"'' (

: 버섯김치볶음밥, literally "mushroom kimchi fried rice"). Meat ingredients are chopped into the dish together with

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

s such as

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...

, carrot or

zucchini The zucchini (; plural: zucchini or zucchinis), courgette (; plural: courgettes) or baby marrow (''Cucurbita pepo'') is a summer squash, a vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and epicarp (rind) are st ...

. However, ingredients depend on personal preference and occasion. A small amount of minced garlic and sliced green pepper can be used as seasoning. These ingredients are fried in a pan with a little vegetable or sesame oil. After the cooked dish is put on a plate or in a bowl, a fried egg is sometimes served on top. Thinly shredded gim, chopped

scallion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus '' Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, c ...

s or sesame are spread over it to enhance the flavor and to garnish.

Popularity

Since kimchi fried rice is cheap and easy to make in a short period of time, it is favored by students living alone who cannot afford expensive meals. Kimchi fried rice is also a popular item for lunch at a ''

bunsik ''Bunsik'' () is a generic term used to refer to inexpensive Korean dishes available at ''bunsikjeom'' (분식점) or ''bunsikjip'' (분식집) snack restaurants. Since the term ''bunsik'' literally means "food made from flour," foods such as ' ...

jeom'' ("

place"). As the dish is hot and spicy, it is typically served with

danmuji ''Takuan'' (; also spelled ''takuwan''), or ''takuan-zuke'' (; 'pickled takuan'), known as ''danmuji'' () in the context of Korean cuisine, is a pickled preparation of daikon radish. As a popular part of traditional Japanese cuisine, ''takua ...

and a small bowl of any kind of mild and warm soup such as ''

miyeok-guk ''Miyeok-guk'' * () (also rendered as miyuk guk) or seaweed soup is a non-spicy Korean soup whose main ingredient is miyeok, or seaweed. It is traditionally eaten as a birthday breakfast in honor of one's mother and by women who have given birt ...

'' ("

wakame Wakame ''(Undaria pinnatifida)'' is a species of kelp native to cold, temperate coasts of the northwest Pacific Ocean. As an edible seaweed, it has a subtly sweet, but distinctive and strong flavour and texture. It is most often served in soups ...

soup"), or '' kongnamul-guk'' ("

soybean sprout Soybean sprout is a culinary vegetable grown by sprouting soybeans. It can be grown by placing and watering the sprouted soybeans in the shade until the roots grow long. Soybean sprouts are extensively cultivated and consumed in Asian countries. ...

soup"). During summer, cool ''

dongchimi ''Dongchimi'' is a variety of kimchi consisting of Korean radish, napa cabbage, scallions, pickled green chilli, ginger, Korean pear and watery brine in Korean cuisine. As the name ''dong'' (hangul: 동; hanja: 冬; literally "winter") and '' ...

'' (white, watery kimchi made of

) can also be accompanied with the dish. The popularity of kimchi fried rice is also reflected in South Korean pop culture. Byun Jin-sub, a popular male singer in the late 1980s, sang a song titled "Wishes" (

: 희망사항) in which he stated that the singer's ideal girlfriend would be one who cooks good kimchi fried rice.

Taeyang Dong Young-bae (; born May 18, 1988), better known by his stage names Taeyang (meaning "sun" in Korean) and SOL (when performing in Japan), is a South Korean singer, songwriter and dancer. After appearing in Jinusean's music video "A-yo", Tae ...

says in his 2010 song "I Need A Girl" that his ideal girlfriend will eat the kimchi fried rice that he cooks.

References

External links

Kimchi fried rice recipe
at ''

Dong-A Ilbo The ''Dong-A Ilbo'' (, literally ''East Asia Daily'') is a newspaper of record in Korea since 1920 with a daily circulation of more than 1.2 million and opinion leaders as its main readers. ''The Dong-A Ilbo'' is the parent company of Dong-A M ...

''
Kimchi fried rice recipe
with photo {{Rice dishes Fried rice Kimchi dishes Korean rice dishes

Ingredients

Popularity

See also

References

External links