Spicy & Sweet Radish Kimchi Fried Rice
A Simple and Delicious Fried Rice Recipe Using Savory and Sweet Radish Kimchi
Hello everyone! This is Henri’s Sister. My homemade radish kimchi has ripened perfectly, so today I made a wonderful fried rice with it. It reminds me of the popular ‘Saengchae Fried Rice’ from the famous ‘Mariseosa’ restaurant in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk province. I recreated that taste easily at home. You know how we’d order one tonkatsu and one Saengchae Fried Rice when we go there? Well, it turns out to be much simpler to make than you’d think!
Main Ingredients- 1 cup of well-fermented radish kimchi (musaengchae kimchi)
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- A pinch of toasted sesame seeds
- 1 egg
- A pinch of shredded seaweed (gim-garu)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and lightly coat the entire pan. Be careful not to overheat the pan, as ingredients can burn easily.
Step 2
Add 1 cup of the prepared well-fermented radish kimchi to the pan. Adjust the amount based on the saltiness or sourness of your kimchi. If the kimchi is too sour or salty, it can affect the overall flavor of the fried rice.
Step 3
Add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar. (Adjust the sugar quantity according to the sweetness of your radish kimchi.) Stir-fry the radish kimchi with the sugar until it becomes slightly golden brown and fragrant. This step helps to retain the radish’s crisp texture while adding sweetness and depth of flavor.
Step 4
Tip: If your homemade radish kimchi is too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of kimchi juice while stir-frying. If it has enough liquid, use that. It’s important to stir-fry it until it’s moist, not too dry.
Step 5
After stir-frying the radish kimchi to develop its flavor, add 1 serving of rice (about 200g). Using fluffy cooked rice or day-old cold rice works best to prevent the fried rice from clumping.
Step 6
Immediately after adding the rice, turn off the heat or reduce it to very low. To prevent the rice from clumping in the hot pan, gently mix the rice and stir-fried radish kimchi with a spatula or spoon. This ensures all ingredients are evenly combined.
Step 7
Now, turn the heat back up to medium and continue to stir-fry until the rice and radish kimchi are well combined. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, allowing the rice grains to become slightly toasted and the radish kimchi’s color to infuse into the rice.
Step 8
Serve the fried rice on a plate and top it with a fried egg, either in the center or on the side. A runny sunny-side-up egg, when broken and mixed into the rice, adds a wonderfully creamy and savory dimension. (Personally, I prefer placing the egg on top of the rice. Mixing the egg into the fried rice can make the color a bit lighter, but topping it with a sunny-side-up egg enhances both the visual appeal and the taste.)
Step 9
Finally, drizzle 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over the fried rice. Gently mix it in to distribute the nutty aroma throughout the dish. It’s best to add sesame oil after turning off the heat to preserve its fragrance.
Step 10
Transfer the finished radish kimchi fried rice to a nice serving bowl. Sprinkle generously with shredded seaweed (gim-garu) and a final pinch of toasted sesame seeds for a delicious and attractive presentation!
