This vegetarian kimchi fried rice is the perfect midweek meal and takes just 20 minutes to make. It is also both vegan and vegetarian friendly!
What is kimchi fried rice?
Kimchi fried rice is leftover short or medium-grain rice stir-fried with chopped kimchi, mushrooms and meat. For my version (the BEST version!) I use vegan kimchi, enoki mushrooms and vegan bacon.
Vegetarian kimchi fried rice: Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for kimchi fried rice can now be find in any large supermarket. You might, however, need to look in a specialist Asian or Korean supermarket for the best quality ingredients!
- Kimchi – Make sure to check the label and use vegan kimchi
- Vegan bacon – you could also use vegan spam or even sliced vegan sausages
- Enoki mushrooms – enoki mushrooms taste great in Korean dishes, you could also use oyster mushrooms or shiitake
- Steamed short/medium grain rice – when making fried rice it is important to use rice which is at least a day old or there will be too much moisture and your fried rice will be mushy. I recommend using either sushi or jasmine rice.
- Garlic – Fragrant garlic adds extra flavour to the fried rice
- Kimchi juice – Adding some of the kimchi juice adds both extra flavour and colour to the rice
- Gochujang – Gochujang, a Korean red chilli paste, adds spice and red colour to the rice
- Light soy sauce – soy sauce isn’t always used in kimchi fried rice. However, I think it adds extra saltiness and falvour
- Sesame oil – Add a little sesame oil to your rice after its finished cooking
Garnish
- Sesame seeds – Sprinkling sesame seeds over the fried rice adds nuttiness and texture
- Spring onion – A few slices of spring onion adds a splash of colour and freshness to the rice
- Nori – Some sliced or crumbled nori sheets add a slightly fishy flavour to the rice which might be missing from the vegan kimchi
How to make the best kimchi fried rice
- Use day old rice: Fried rice is a great way to use up leftover rice. Freshly steamed rice contains a lot of moisture and will make your fried rice mushy. If you don’t want to wait, spread freshly steamed rice onto a large plate and allow to steam dry and cool to room temperature before cooking. For kimchi fried rice use either short- or medium-grain rice, such as sushi rice or jasmine rice.
- Fry your rice in a wok: For the most authentic fried rice use a wok over a gas stove. The flavours of the wok will be imparted into your rice giving it extra flavour, this is called ‘wok hei’.
- Drain your kimchi: Before frying squeeze excess liquid out of your kimchi. This will help it to fry better and give it a better flavour. You can add the kimchi juice back into the dish when you add the rice.
Can kimchi be vegetarian?
Yes! Although traditional kimchi usually contains fish sauce and shrimp paste, kimchi is easy to make vegan. In my experience, most Asian supermarkets will stock both a vegan and non-vegan version of kimchi. They taste pretty much identical and usually cost the same too!
Variations
- Kimchi fried rice with cheese – Before serving you can, optionally, sprinkle some mozzarella over your rice. Cover with the lid until the cheese melts. Or, even better, serve your kimchi fried rice with some Korean corn cheese.
- Kimchi fried rice with egg – Kimchi fried rice is often served with a fried egg. Make sure you keep the egg yolk runny so you can mix it up with the rice.
Similar Recipes
If you liked this recipe, check out more of my Korean-inspired recipes:
- Vegetarian budae jjigae (Korean army stew)
- Vegetarian Japchae
- Kimchi and mozzarella Korean dumplings
Vegetarian Kimchi Fried Rice
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok/stir-fry pan over a medium heat.
- Add the garlic and stir it around for 10 seconds. Next add the bacon and fry until it is halfway cooked, around 3 minutes.
- Add the Kimchi and stir until almost completely cooked, around 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the enoki mushrooms and stir quickly for a further minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the rice, gochujang, and kimchi juice to the pan. Mix everything together.
- Add the sesame oil and stir through. Remove from the heat.
- Serve garnished with sesame seeds, spring onion and nori. Enjoy!
such a good way to use kimchi, yum