Back in my college days, I used to live on spam and egg-fried rice. It was so simple to make and I always found myself craving it, despite how unhealthy spam is. Luckily and thankfully, I can now afford ingredients that are a bit more costly but create a much tastier dish. So today, I'm fusing together a classic Japanese dish with a Korean one and making omurice with kimchi fried rice. Much fancier than my rustic spam and egg-fried rice, and oh so delicious!

Print Recipe

Omurice with Kimchi Fried Rice

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: beef, rice

Servings: 2

Author: Cherry on My Sundae

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon oil
• ½ cup bulgogi
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ onion chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 cup kimchi chopped plus 2 tablespoon kimchi juices
• 2 cups cooked white rice
• 4 eggs whisked
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the bulgogi and cook until done, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bulgogi with its juices to a bowl and set aside.
• Melt butter in the same pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic, sauteing until the onion has softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped kimchi and cook until the kimchi has softened, about 5-6 minutes. Add the bulgogi back into the pan with the juices and stir to combine.
• Add the cooked rice into the pan and stir well together. Add the kimchi juices, reduce heat to medium and continue to stir until every grain of rice is coated with the kimchi mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding soy sauce or salt if needed. Portion the kimchi fried rice onto two plates.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan over high heat. Whisk together the eggs with the salt. Pour half of the egg mixture into the pan and swirl the pan around to create an even layer of the egg. Once the eggs have set, flip the omelette over and cook on the other side about 45 seconds. Remove from the pan and carefully lay on top of the kimchi fried rice. Repeat with the remaining egg. Serve.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

If you've ever visited a Korean restaurant or dined at a Korean's home, you will notice that kimchi is a huge part of the diet. The fermented cabbage is served as a side dish or used to make other dishes including kimchi pancakes, kimchi stew, and even kimchi pasta. For this omurice with kimchi fried rice, you want to make sure to use the kimchi made from napa cabbage. If the kimchi is not of great quality, you can add more seasonings to give your rice more flavor.

In order to make fantastic fried rice, it all starts with butter. Hey, no one said fried rice is healthy right? The addition of onions makes the fried rice a bit sweeter along with the juices of the bulgogi. If you’re a vegetarian, you can take out the bulgogi. You can also substitute it with chicken or spam!

Now if you’re adding protein, the flavors from the bulgogi help season the rice; however, without it, you may find your dish to be a bit bland. To add more flavor, season the fried rice with soy sauce, gochujang, and sesame oil. Gochujang is a Korean chili paste that adds spice and a little sweetness to the dish.

Now for the omelet, make sure you are using a non-stick pan. This is very important as it will allow the egg to slide right off the pan, otherwise, you will have a mess! Carefully drape the omelet over the fried rice and dinner is served! Japanese omurice usually has ketchup drizzled on top but since this version is paired with kimchi fried rice, it’s not necessary.

Kimchi fried rice can also be served with a fried egg instead of the omurice, but they are both equally delicious! Dig in and enjoy!

For more Korean food inspiration check out these Korean sticky sesame chicken wings!