kimchi fried rice

this past thanksgiving weekend was really just an excuse to eat. a HUGE excuse at that.. i believe i put on some pounds this weekend which i am dreading to try to lose cos it's just so much harder to lose for me than to gain weight >.< (these are the times when i envy ppl with high metabolism..

....wait.. what am i saying?... i always envy those who can eat a ton and not gain a single ounce)

 

some of my delicious food excursions besides the huge thanksgiving lunch/dinner include dinner at hopleaf and long-overdue frontera grill (await these posts after i catch up with some old ones), publican brunch and my much anticipated visit to hmart for korean groceries, poggi kimchi and korean food - spicy pork stir fry {돼지 불고기}.

i think one of the best kimchi-s i've had is the poggi kimchi freshly made at hmart. enough heat to give it a nice kick but does not linger coupled with enough vinegar flavor. they used to sell half packs which was the ideal size but then they've stopped and a full pound bag was almost always too much for us. 

we went up to the counter and got us a bag of deliciousness when the guys who were making the kimchi stopped us and pointed at the sign above them.

if you didn't know, kimchi is really good for you! not kidding! plus, it tastes really good ^^ (okay..maybe it's an acquired taste for some) read here to find out more :)

hence, i started searching for some korean food recipes. i've always craved for them ~ so why not try to make some myself? with that in mind, i stocked up on a lot of what i think are korean basic ingredients to have in the kitchen pantry (perhaps a future entry about that very soon ^^ )

i found the recipe online and i wanted to get one as authentic as i can get. i was surprised when i read SPAM as one of the ingredients that i had to ask my korean friend, S if that was normal. his response ~ SPAM is the only way to go! >.< that was quite unexpected actually.

 

 

 

found on eatyourbap.com

• 2 to 2.5 cups of over-ripened kimchi, cut small
• 3 bowls of day old rice 
• half a regular-sized can of SPAM, diced
• 1 to 2 tbs korean pepper paste {gochujang :: 고추장}
• 1 to 2 tbs juice from the kimchi jar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce (optional if you like it salty)
• fried egg (sunny side up ~ optional)
• toasted sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
• dried seaweed strips {gim} (optional as garnish)

• fry the egg first and set aside
• over medium high heat, saute the SPAM in the same large skillet until browned ~ about 3 to 4 minutes (i prefer mine with a bit of char so i do it longer)
• push the SPAM to a corner of the pan, and add the kimchi with its juices and gochujang. saute until softened for another few more minutes. 
• mix together with the SPAM
• lower the temperature to low and then add rice. mix thoroughly ensuring there aren't white spots with a rice paddle or wooden spoon.
• add a drizzle of sesame oil and soy sauce (be sparse since SPAM itself is quite salty - make sure you do the taste test before adding anything)
• taste for spiciness and adjust to your preference

there are a couple more korean recipes coming up with kimchi and some without that i am planning to try so stay tuned :) got me some pork belly ~ so it might be stir fry pork belly or kimchi jiggae.. can't wait.