Kimchi Fried Rice
2 cups round grain rice
like sushi rice
2 1/4 cups water
2 tbsp rice bran oil
or vegetable oil
1 lb mushrooms
sliced 0.25-inch thick
to taste
to taste
2 tbsp rice bran oil
or vegetable oil
1/2 lb bacon
cut into 0.25-inch pieces
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup kimchi juice
from the kimchi
3 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 whole onion
large, diced in small pieces
2 tbsp garlic
finely chopped
2 cups kimchi
drained and rough chopped (reserve kimchi juice for sauce)
5 whole eggs
soft boiled or sunny side up
1 bunch scallions
sliced on the bias for garnish
2 sheets nori
thinly cut with scissors for garnish
For the Steamed Rice
Put rice into rice cooker pot, rinse well, about 4 to 5 times until most of the starch is washed off. Drain off and add cooking water. Steam in rice cooker and once cooked, lay out on sheet pan to cool.
For the Fried Rice
Heat a large sauté pan to medium-high, add oil and sauté your mushrooms until tender and lightly browned for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan so that the mushrooms don’t steam, as liquid will come off mushrooms as they cook. Season with salt and pepper, put in bowl and set aside.
Heat another large sauté pan to medium, add rice bran oil and bacon. Slowly cook the bacon until crisp, rendering its fat. Strain the crispy bacon bits and keep separate.
Meanwhile, create a sauce by mixing the soy sauce, kimchi juice, gochujang, and sesame oil.
In the same pan, turn up the heat to medium high. Toss in diced onions, sauté until aromatic for 1 minute, add garlic and kimchi for another couple of minutes, blooming the garlic and kimchi. Add rice, mushrooms and sauce. Mix well and fold in bacon.
For the Soft-Boiled Egg
Fill a sauce pot halfway and bring to a boil. Reduce the temperature so it is a rapid simmer and gently lower the eggs into the water. Cook the eggs for 5 to 7 minutes: 5 minutes for a yolk that is still runny and 7 minutes for a yolk that is barely set.
Drain the eggs and run them under cold tap water for 30 to 60 seconds. Be very careful with peeling, since the inside is soft, it may break. Slice the peeled egg in half and place on top of the fried rice.
Garnish with scallions, nori and serve.