Dairy Free,  Gluten Free,  Main Course,  Recipe,  Sides,  Vegan,  Vegetarian

Kimchi Fried Rice (Vegan+GF)

So tell me, how do you feel about spicy food? Because, well, this stuff is packing some serious heat….

Personally, I have to be in the mood for spicy food to really enjoy it. To me it seems like there are different types of spice and I like some more than others. For example, I love things like horseradish and wasabi with their powerful punch that’s pretty much guaranteed to clear your sinuses in an oddly pleasant burn. Then there are the spicy foods that numb your taste buds with blazing fire (I’m sorry, was this food seasoned with molten lava!!!). I’m not sure if that makes sense or not but I’m just going to hope that you’ve experienced the difference between them and know what I’m referring to.

For some reason the guys in my family like it all, but they especially love the latter. Most of the time I just don’t get how they can enjoy dousing everything in spicy sauces to the point where they can’t possibly taste any of it. I don’t know, maybe that’s because I’m a spice wimp, but I like to actually taste what I’m eating thank you very much. Haha, maybe I should take offence as if they’re trying to drown the flavor of my bad cooking. Hey, it’s not impossible and I’ve already admitted to you guys how often I have major fails, so it may even be more probable than I’d care to think.

For my own peace of mind though, I’m going to chalk it up to a guy thing like how they can enjoy hours of watching sports or UFC fights (Which by the way, I actually sat through with them last weekend.) So how does kimchi rank in here? Well, even though it’s more of a tongue numbing heat I feel like it’s worth making an exception because it has so much flavor you can still taste it past the heat.

Alright, bottom line here -> You need to try this recipe if A.) You already love kimchi, B.) You love spicy foods but have never had kimchi, or C.) You don’t like spicy food or kimchi, in which case just skip adding it and make the rice!

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Kimchi Fried Rice

Spice up your typical side of rice by making this simple and tasty Korean inspired version.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked brown rice or white
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 stalks celery minced
  • 1 15 ounce or 425 g can baby corn, drained
  • 1/4 cup peanut or sunflower oil divided
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1 cup prepared kimchi *see note
  • sea salt to taste
  • sesame seeds for topping optional

Instructions

  1. Add 3 tablespoons oil, onion, garlic, and celery to large skillet or wok and cook until celery is starting to soften, about 4 minutes. Add broth and baby corn and continue stirring until most of the liquid is evaporated. Now add soy sauce, sesame oil, and kimchi and stir over heat for about 2 minutes to warm, then add the rice and toss to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes more until it starts to darken. Remove from heat and season to taste with with additional salt if needed then serve hot.

Recipe Notes

*Kimchi is a very spicy, fermented side dish that is served as a staple with almost every meal in Korean culture. It can be made at home or purchased at most grocery or health food stores in the exotic section. *This is a great side dish for all kinds of Asian main dishes but it also makes a perfect main dish if you'd like to add a few additional eggs or meat such as pork or chicken.


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