This easy kimchi fried rice recipe is a quick-to-make dinner made with leftover white rice, fried tofu, mushrooms, and tangy Korean kimchi.
My friend Michelle turned me onto kimchi. Her Korean mother always had this funky, pungent cabbage condiment at the ready for serving alongside their Korean dinners or just for snacking. Being a lover of fermented foods (killer garlic pickles forever!) it was a no-brainer I’d become a fan of kimchi too.
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Kimchi fried rice is one of my favorite dinner ideas when there’s no time to cook. While I love my ham fried rice recipe, I keep this fried rice recipe vegetarian with quick-fried tofu and scrambled eggs providing the protein and mushrooms and soy sauce adding earthy umami. Leftover white rice is key to the success of any fried rice so it doesn’t clump. And then of course there’s kimchi in this dish, where the fermented cabbage adds body and the reserved kimchi juice gives the kimchi fried rice its flavorful tang.
What Kimchi Fried Rice Is Made Of
This recipe is the perfect way to use up leftover white rice along with some fridge foraging for ingredients that keep longer in the fridge.
Here’s what you’ll need for kimchi fried rice:
- Canola oil
- Leftover cooked white rice—using chilled white rice ensures the rice won’t clump or get mushy
- Tofu—medium-firm tofu works best for frying or baking
- Kimchi—find kimchi in the refrigerated vegetable section of the grocery store or at Asian grocery stores
- Shittake or brown mushrooms
- Green onion
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Butter
- Eggs
How to Make Kimchi Fried Rice
Use leftover chilled cooked white rice. If you don’t have leftover rice, follow this recipe for perfectly cooked white rice. Spread the cooked rice in an even layer on a baking sheet and pop it in the fridge for an hour or more to cool. Chilled rice ensures the rice won’t clump when liquid is added to it.
Fry or bake the tofu. Medium-firm tofu holds its shape with a crisp crust and creamy interior when fried or baked following these recipe directions (I skipped tossing it with cornstarch here.) If baking the tofu, skip the step for stir-frying it in oil in the directions below and add directly to the rice and mushrooms instead.
Use the reserved kimchi juice to season the rice. Drain the kimchi before chopping to add it to the rice mixture with the soy sauce and sesame oil. The fermented juice adds heat and classic kimchi sweet and sour bite to the dish.
Health Benefits of Kimchi
As a probiotic that helps encourage healthy gut health, the health benefits of kimchi are indisputable. Commonly found in Asian markets or health food stores, these days kimchi is carried in nearly every common grocery store due to its rise in popularity and great health benefits.
Substitutions and Additions for Kimchi Fried Rice
- Top it with a fried egg instead of scrambled
- Try chopped Spam, ham, or shrimp instead of tofu—or with it!
- Add peas, carrots, or broccoli
- Chopped fresh spinach or kale would be a great, healthy addition
What to Serve with Kimchi Fried Rice
- Asian Broccolini
- Sweet and Sour Asian Pickled Cucumbers
- Sesame Soba Noodles
- Roasted Asparagus
- Roasted Cauliflower sprinkled with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Kimchi Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons canola oil , divided
- 8 ounces tofu , drained and cut into 2" cubes
- 1 cup sliced shiitake or brown mushrooms
- 8 green onions , trimmed and thinly sliced
- 4 cups cold cooked white rice
- 1 cup kimchi , chopped with ¼ cup reserved kimchi juice
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high. Once the oil is shimmering, add half of the tofu to the pan in a single layer. Cook until golden on each side, turning every 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate topped with a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
- Add another 2 tablespoons of the oil to the same skillet over medium-high. Toss the mushrooms in the oil to coat and add ½ cup of the green onion. Cook until the mushrooms are softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the plate with tofu and set aside.
- In the same skillet add the last 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the rice to the skillet and cook without stirring for 2 minutes so the bottom gets crisped. Add the chopped kimchi, the kimchi juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and toss to coat. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the rice is coated and warmed through.
- In a separate non-stick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk the eggs in a bowl then add to the hot skillet. Cook the eggs while stirring until soft curds form then add to the rice along with the fried tofu and mushrooms. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired. Top with the rest of the green onion and serve.
Nutrition
More Asian Recipes to Try
- Ham Fried Rice
- Thai Garlic and Black Pepper Tofu With Mushrooms
- Sesame Shrimp with Asian Greens Rice Bowl
- Marinated Flank Steak with Asian Chimichurri Sauce
- Teriyaki Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry
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I’m allergic to soy, is there something else l could use?
Hi Carolyn! Yes, you could use coconut aminos ( it contains no soy and has a very similar flavor to soy sauce). We hope this helps!
Thank you for getting back to me, coconut aminos is all we use . Happy Holidays