Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Kimchi Fried Rice)

Ingredients

• 14 ozcooked short-grain rice, day-old and cold from the fridge
• 7 ozkimchi, well fermented, roughly chopped
• 3 tbspkimchi brine, from the jar
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 3spring onions, whites and greens kept separate
• 1 tbspgochujang, Korean chilli paste
• 1 tspsoy sauce
• 1 tspsesame oil, added off the heat
• 2eggs
• 1 tsptoasted sesame seeds
• 2 sheetsroasted seaweed, cut into fine strips

Method

1. 1

   Tip the cold rice into a bowl and break the clumps apart with wet hands or a spoon until the grains are loose. Cold, separated rice is what keeps the finished dish from turning to paste.

2. 2

   Heat the vegetable oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the spring onion whites and the chopped kimchi and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until the kimchi darkens and smells sweet rather than sharp.

3. 3

   Stir in the gochujang and cook for 30 seconds so it loses its raw edge, then pour in the kimchi brine and the soy sauce. It should sizzle and thicken almost immediately.

4. 4

   Add the rice and toss to coat every grain in the red sauce. Spread it flat and leave it undisturbed for 2 minutes to catch and crisp against the pan, then toss again. Take it off the heat and stir through the sesame oil.

5. 5

   In a second pan, fry the eggs in a little oil until the whites are set and the edges are lacy but the yolks are still runny.

6. 6

   Divide the rice between bowls, slide an egg onto each, and scatter over the spring onion greens, sesame seeds and seaweed strips. Break the yolk into the rice as you eat.