Dinner inspiration comes in the form of a quick, delicious and no-fuss Korean fried rice dish! Using a handful of simple pantry ingredients, you can have a delicious bowl of kimchi fried rice on your lap in front of the telly in less than 20mins 😉
sponsored by de iuliis wines, Hunter Valley
Why You Need This Recipe!
It's Tuesday night; the first 2 days back at work have been a bit rough and to be honest, you are hoping your partner has gotten the kids down already so you can grab a drink and enjoy dinner on the couch with the TV on. Don't lie; we all know that feeling! So, it's gotta be something quick for dinner that will hit the spot and not take too long to make either - bring on some Korean fried rice!
It just ticks every box. Pantry staples and some steak. That's pretty much all you need!
Ingredients Needed
Leftover rice - this is the key to this dish. Using leftover rice - either order a little extra from the takeaway the previous day or cook a little extra in the microwave. The best Korean fried rice comes from cold, day-old rice.
Kimchi - you can buy this fresh or tinned in pretty much any major grocery store. Just chop it up a little and cook it through the rice to add bags of flavour.
Spring onions - slice them finely, adding the whites to the fried rice when cooking and sprinkle the greens on top to add some freshness to the dish.
Liquids - soy sauce, sesame oil & cooking oil - all of which are pantry staples or will become staples pretty soon after making this dish!
Nori - I've toasted some Nori here to add nuttiness and texture. It's a step you can skip if you like, but I would recommend it personally.
Steak - I've used bavette steak, but honestly, you can use any cut. For me, cheaper cuts like flank, hangar & skirt work great for these kinda recipes.
Eggs - once again, you can skip the egg on top, but IMO, the umami, protein and luxury feeling of that burst yolk on your Korean fried rice is well worth it!
Top Tips!
- Prepare all your ingredients before you started - this will help you, especially if it's your first time making Korean fried rice, to not make mistakes!
- ALWAYS rest your meat - cook the steak first, and whilst it is resting then, get the rice going. This will allow the juices to redistribute and give you a tastier steak!
- Use a large frying pan - so that the rice cooks quicker. The quicker it cooks the less it will clump together
- Hot pan - crank the heat up to cook the rice quickly
- Pour yourself a glass of wine, life is tough - enjoy it a little!
Wine Pairing
What's dinner without a cracking glass of wine to take the edge off after a long day of adulting! Be it the boss doing your nut, the kids driving you over the edge or maybe you had a bad day on the golf course, then De iuliis has you covered!
One of my favourite wineries out of the Hunter Valley here in Australia. Mike and his team know how to produce affordable wines that punch way above their weight. The '21 Estate Shiraz ticks this box to perfection! Quality fruit matched with a skilled winemaker brings a glass or two of pure joy! A great balance of fruit, earthy notes and spice alongside some bright acidity and good length to. Ready to be enjoyed young but if you manage to squirrel a few away for a few years you won't regret it one bit.
Alternative Recipes
So, you've cooked my Korean fried rice and are looking for some other banging recipes that can get you from the kitchen to the couch or table (if that's what you're into!) as quick as possible? Check out these bad boys!
- Prawn & Chorizo Pasta - trust me!
- Chicken & Blue Cheese Gnocchi - my go-to when the "boss is out"
- Chorizo Chickpea Stew - a bowl of pure comfort
- Salmon Chowder - need I say more 😉
- Asian Pork Meatballs - one of my wife's favourites!
Hopefully, a few of these will inspire you - and remember, there are plenty more recipes on the site, so go have a browse too.
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
- 3 cups day old rice
- 400 g kimchi roughly chopped
- 600 g steak bavette, skirt or flank
- 1 sheet nori
- 2 spring onions sliced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp oil
- sesame seeds
- 4 eggs
Essential Tools
- frying pan
- Wok or high sided frying pan
- Chopping board
- Chef Knives
- weighing/measuring utensils
- spatula
- wooden spoon
Instructions
- Toast the nori by waving it over the flame on the gas cooker – this takes only about 20 seconds, be careful it doesn’t set on fire. Allow to cool and then cut into matchsticks
- Cook steak on grill or in a hot pan for 3mins per side or until internal temp is 48-52c. Allow to rest for 6+ mins and slice thinly. Meanwhile, prepare the rice
- In a wok or high sided frying pan add the oil on high heat and cook the kimchi, juices and whites of the spring onion for approx. 1-2mins. Put a pan on to fry eggs
- Add cold rice, breaking it up along with soy & sesame – cook for 3-4mins or until hot throughout
- As the rice cooks, fry 4 eggs sunny side up
- Place the rice in a bowl, add steak to the side, top with a fried egg, spring onions and sesame seeds
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- when making fried rice, ALWAYS used day-old rice or at least rice you made that morning. Ensure rice has cooled sufficiently, store it in the fridge until ready to use and cook through before serving
- 3 cups of cooked rice is the equivalent of 1 cup of uncooked rice
- ALWAYS rest your steak before slicing – I find the cuts mentioned above require a little more time to rest than ribeye or sirloin
- want to add a little extra kick to the dish? Serve with a spoon of sambal
okay not sure if my previous comments are just lurking somewhere ... but here i am again. Just saying i love fried rice and how trendy korean foods are lately and how much i'd love to try a korean street food sandwich ...
Hey Sherry - been taking a bit of a break so am back at it now. Thanks for the support
korean food is so popular lately. I must be odd cos i don't like kimchi! I'm dying to try those street food sandwiches tho. I do love fried rice.
it's amazing how Korean food has become so trendy these days! I watch a lot of mukbangers and cooks on YouTube who all love it. Well, admittedly a lot of them are Korean 🙂 This sounds great Gavin.
I'm addicted to anything Korean (foodwise) these days 😉