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a bowl of reddish kimchi fried short-grain rice with finely crumbled ground beef, chopped cooked kimchi and sliced scallions mixed in, topped with one fried egg with a set white and golden yolk
Melissa Hart

Kimchi Ground Beef Fried Rice

Use mature, pleasantly sour kimchi for this skillet; very fresh kimchi won't give the rice the same tang, even with the measured spoonfuls of its juice. Cooking the chopped cabbage until its moisture evaporates lets the cold rice fry against the pan instead of steaming, and a fried egg on each serving gives you a soft topping to break into the spicy grains without scrambling egg through the whole batch.
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Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups short-grain white rice rinsed and drained
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil divided
  • 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
  • 1 1/2 cups napa cabbage kimchi drained and chopped
  • 3 tbsp kimchi juice
  • 1 tbsp gochujang
  • 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced

Method
 

  1. Bring rice and water to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 18 minutes, then rest covered off heat for 10 minutes. Spread rice no more than 1 inch deep on a clean tray and refrigerate promptly, uncovered, for at least 1 hour until cold; include this chilling time in preparation.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles and cooking to 160°F; transfer to a bowl.
  3. Heat another tablespoon oil in the skillet. Add kimchi and garlic and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the cabbage softens and visible liquid evaporates.
  4. Mix kimchi juice, gochujang and soy sauce. Add cold rice and the sauce to the skillet, separate clumps with a spatula and fry for 5 to 6 minutes, turning every minute.
  5. Return beef to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes until rice and beef are steaming throughout. Stir in sesame oil and scallions.
  6. Heat the last tablespoon neutral oil in a separate nonstick skillet. Fry eggs for 3 to 4 minutes until the whites are set, covering briefly if needed; cook yolks firm if preferred. Divide rice among four bowls and put one egg on each.