Kimchi Fried Rice with Crispy Egg

Name: Kimchi Fried Rice with Crispy Egg
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked white rice, ideally day-old and cold; 1 cup chopped kimchi, plus 2 tablespoons kimchi juice; 1/2 pound ground pork or diced spam; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chili paste); 2 cloves garlic, minced; 4 eggs; 2 green onions, sliced; Sesame seeds, for serving

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

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Cold day-old rice is not a compromise here; it is the whole reason fried rice behaves. Fresh hot rice carries too much moisture and wants to clump into one soft, emotionally dependent mass. Chilled rice has dried out enough that the grains separate in a hot skillet and can actually pick up crisp edges.

Ground pork or diced Spam goes in first and gets properly browned. Then garlic and chopped kimchi hit the fat before the rice joins them. Gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a couple tablespoons of kimchi juice coat everything with heat, salt, funk, and just enough acidity to keep the pork and rice from feeling heavy. If you use ground pork, cook it to 160°F; this is one of those dishes that moves fast enough that a thermometer is considerably smarter than guessing.

The sunny-side-up egg is not decoration. Fry it separately until the edges crisp while the yolk stays soft, then put it right on top. Once that yolk breaks into the spicy rice, it becomes part sauce, part peace treaty. Green onions and sesame seeds finish the bowl, and suddenly yesterday’s rice has a better career than most leftovers ever get.

Prep20 minutes

Cook25 minutes

Total45 minutes

Serves4 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

3 cups cooked white rice, ideally day-old and cold
1 cup chopped kimchi, plus 2 tablespoons kimchi juice
1/2 pound ground pork or diced spam
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chili paste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 eggs
2 green onions, sliced
Sesame seeds, for serving

Instructions

1Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Cook ground pork until crispy and browned, 5 minutes. (If using spam, cook until caramelized.) Cook ground meat until it reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
2Add garlic and chopped kimchi. Stir-fry 2 minutes.
3Add cold rice and break up any clumps. Stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes until the rice is heated through and starting to get crispy.
4Add soy sauce, gochujang, and kimchi juice. Toss until evenly coated.
5In a separate skillet, fry eggs sunny-side up with crispy edges.
6Serve rice in bowls topped with a fried egg, green onions, and sesame seeds.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.

440Calories

21 gProtein

42 gCarbohydrates

21 gTotal Fat

7 gSaturated Fat

2 gFiber

4 gTotal Sugars

810 mgSodium

225 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Day-old cold rice is essential — fresh hot rice turns to mush. The drier the rice, the crispier the fried rice.
High heat the whole time. Fried rice needs a screaming-hot pan to get that wok hei (smoky char).
The crispy egg yolk breaking over the rice is not optional — it ties the whole bowl together.

Substitutions

ground pork → diced spam, bacon, or tofu for vegetarian Spam is the most traditional Korean option.

gochujang → sriracha plus a pinch of sugar Different flavor profile but gives heat and sweetness.

white rice → brown rice or cauliflower rice Both work. The texture will be slightly different.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot skillet — the microwave makes it soggy.

Make Ahead

Cook rice a day ahead specifically for this recipe. Cold rice makes better fried rice.

Freezing

Freeze the cooked kimchi fried rice without the fried eggs. Cool it completely, freeze airtight, thaw in the refrigerator or reheat from frozen as appropriate, then top each serving with a freshly cooked egg.

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