Kimchi Fried Rice

1. Enoki Mushrooms – A popular Asian mushroom with fine stems. It is fairly easily found these days in large grocery stores in Australia. Sub with other sliced Asian mushrooms (shimeji, oyster, king, fresh or rehydrated shiitake) or ordinary mushrooms.

2. Gochujang – Korean soy bean chilli paste, it adds a ton of umami (savoury flavour) and spice into anything! Find it in large grocery stores in the Asian aisle (Woolies, Coles, Harris – for Aus), or Asian / Korean grocery stores. It lasts “forever” in the fridge. Also use for: Korean Pork Bossam, Bibimbap and Korean Pork Stir Fry.

Gochujang sometimes comes in different grades of chilli heat, shown on the label. I strongly recommend you buy the mild one, which is already fairly spicy!

If you like your Kimchi Fried Rice really spicy, add 50% more gochujang. Beyond that the salt and flavour can start to dominate the dish, so if you want even more spiciness, I’d suggest you add chilli powder from here.

3. Kimchi – A Korean staple, this is pickled fermented vegetables. Cabbage is the most common one which is what we use here. Widely available these days even in everyday grocery stores. I used Paldo brand kimchi here.

If your 1 cup of kimchi doesn’t yield enough juice, spoon out some from the jar or just squeeze extra from more cabbage!

4. Day-old cooked rice – White rice is best (and traditional). It must be day-old so it’s dry and crumbly, to avoid mushy fried rice. Need some for a fried rice emergency? Cook rice, spread on a tray, cool then freeze.

5. Crispy seaweed / nori strips – Buy it, or skip it. It’s not a big deal for this dish, it’s more for visuals!

6. Storage and reheating – Fried rice keeps very well, especially one without meat. Seal in a container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, add a small splash of water and microwave. While it can be frozen, but it’s not recommended especially when it’s so quick to make.

7. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. Excludes toppings.