Or, what to eat when you want some new comfort food.
This recipe was my first foray into kimchi at home, and it will not be my last.
I’m simultaneously intimidated by and attracted to most fermented foods. They sometimes smell funny, they are ALIVE (cue Frankenstein claw hands)… but they are also usually really tasty, and I’ve heard tell that they are good for you. In light of this, I’d say that this recipe is a good place to start for folks looking to expand their comfort food horizons.
I’ve had my eye on versions of this fried rice recipe for a while. See Amelia Morris’s version here, as just one example. And as usual, I don’t know why I didn’t make this sooner. This was one of the fastest first-try meals I’ve made lately, and it was so uncomplicated and tasty that I will be making a version of it again soon.
- 1 T butter or oil (or both, depending on the richness you're after)
- 1 generous cup of kimchi
- 1 generous cup of cooked brown rice, cooled (or leftover)
- 1 T gochujang or other red pepper paste
- a good handful of frozen peas
- a good handful of shredded green cabbage or other green
- 1 t sesame oil
- sliced green onions, optional
- Heat the butter and/or oil in a medium skillet.
- Add the kimchi and stir until warm and sizzling, about 2 minutes.
- Add the gochujang. Stir.
- Add the brown rice and sesame oil. Stir, and leave a minute or so until a crust begins to form on the bottom of the pan.
- While waiting for the crust, add the peas and cabbage to the top of the rice. They will thaw/barely cook while the rice crisps.
- Check for crustiness (but not burned rice!) after a couple of minutes, and stir the greens through the rice.
- Serve into 2 bowls. Garnish with green onions if you like.