This recipe converted my kimchi-averse mum, who now suspects that she may actually be fond of the fermented vegetable. It’s honestly hard to go wrong with this. Charred rice (the perfect use for overnight rice), golden cubes of spam, the aged complexity of kimchi, umami from fish and light sauce, and everything tied together with the richness of a little butter, which also cuts through the acidity of the kimchi. All these components coming together to create so much complexity in flavour, in under half an hour.
Ingredients
300g cooked rice, preferably overnight
150g spam, cubed
15g butter, unsalted
130g kimchi, chopped into chunks
2 to 3 Tablespoon kimchi juices
2 teaspoon fish sauce
1.5 teaspoon light soy
15g unsalted butter
Salt,to taste
Sesame oil
Spring onions, sliced
Nori strips, to serve
Fried egg, to serve
Cooking oil, as needed
Directions
Heat up a couple tablespoons of oil in your pan over medium-high heat. Fry a couple of sunny side ups to top the fried rice with. Set aside.
In the same pan, over medium-low heat, add in your spam cubes. When they’re golden brown, push the spam to the side, and add in your chopped up kimchi. Fry everything for 1 to 2 minutes.
Crank the heat up to high and add in your rice, tossing and mixing everything together.
Add your light soy, fish sauce, and the kimchi juice. Continue tossing and turning over high heat, until the rice is lightly charred.
Add in your knob of butter, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning. If it isn’t salty enough, add a touch more light soy or salt.
Once you’re happy with how it tastes, sprinkle in your nori strips and spring onions.
Top with a sunny side up, more spring onions, nori, or sesame seeds. Serve.
Notes
The butter at the end adds a touch of richness and cuts through the acidic kimchi. Depending on how acidic your kimchi is, you can add a tad more butter.
You want to make sure your rice is slightly charred and crisp. The textural contrast of some charred bits and the chewy rice… *Chef’s Kiss*
