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.

it said 'buy one, get one free'

they insisted we took another. i paused - one bag was already quite a lot of kimchi. what more if i brought home two?

i was torn - that kimchi is so uber awesome but gosh that was a GIGANTIC amount of kimchi! after a couple seconds  pondering, i gave in and took the second bag since i could just give it to some other kimchi lover friends or devise ways to use it.

or i could eat a lot of kimchi everyday. 

either ways, i will find a way to have it work out! >.<

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 ^^ )

my first korean recipe tried: kimchi fried rice {김치 볶음밥}.

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.

 

 

 

verdict i've never had korean fried rice from any korean restaurants so this was really my first time having it. i liked it ~ salty from the spam, savory and slightly vinegar-y from the kimchi - of course the distinct flavor comes from the kimchi you use. ryan liked it too and christina thought it was pretty good. it's easy to make with minimal effort and time (as well as ingredients, assuming you have a korean pantry). and definitely a good way to use up some of the kimchi in hand :)

if you are interested in trying or have too much kimchi in your fridge, i found the recipe from eat your bap blog:

kimchi fried rice {김치 볶음밥}

found on eatyourbap.com

ingredients | 

• 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)

directions |

• 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.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.