Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap) Recipe

English Name: Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice
Korean Name: 채식 김치볶음밥
Romanized: Chaeshik Kimchi Bokkeumbap
Storage: Can be refrigerated in an air tight container for up to 3-4 days
Classified Under: Rice
Wikipedia Entry

When Koreans have nothing to eat in the fridge, they make kimchi fried rice. After all, every Korean has at least rice and kimchi in the fridge. Right? :)

This vegan kimchi fried rice recipe is so simple to make yet packed with flavor. Top it with mashed avocados seasoned with Indian black salt, and you got yourself a kimchi fried rice that tastes like it has a runny sunny side up egg on it. YUM!!!

It's everything you can ask for in a Kimchi fried rice, without the meat or eggs. Definitely give this recipe a try! You'll be blown away by how good this is! :)
​

Serves 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

​Ingredients

For fried rice:

• 3 cups cooked white rice (warm or cold) 
• 1 cup green onion or leek, finely chopped (around 7-8 stalks green onions or 1/2 stalk leek)
• 1 cup well fermented vegan kimchi, chopped
• 2 tsp Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1.5 TBS soy sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

For garnish:

• toasted sesame seeds (optional - as much as you want!)
• 1 sheet seaweed paper/nori, crushed into small pieces (optional)
• 1 small to medium ripe avocado, mashed (optional)
  • Indian black salt (kala namak), to taste (optional - gives avocado eggy flavor)

​

Directions

1. Finely chop leek or green onions and set aside. 

2. Chop kimchi into small pieces and add it to a bowl. Alternatively, (if you're lazy) add kimchi to a bowl and cut it into small pieces using a scissor. Then, add hot pepper flakes and sugar to the bowl. 

3. Now let's cook. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. When heated, add vegetable oil and the green onion/leek. Stir fry for around 3-4 minutes until translucent.

4. Add kimchi mixture and stir fry for another 3-4 minutes. 

5. Then, push kimchi and green onion/leek to one side of the pan and add soy sauce to the empty side of the pan. The soy sauce should sizzle, bringing out the flavor, and become fragrant. After around 10-15 seconds of sizzling, mix the kimchi and leek/green onions with soy sauce till well combined. 

6. Turn off the heat and add the cooked white rice. Mix thoroughly till kimchi and rice is well incorporated. Taste for seasonings and add extra soy sauce or sugar as needed. 

7. Then, turn heat back on to medium and stir fry till rice is heated through. If rice is already warm, it should take 1-2 minutes. If cold, around 3-4 minutes. 

8. Turn off heat, drizzle with toasted sesame oil, and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a plate (or two). Garnish with sesame seeds, crushed seaweed paper/nori, and extra green onions if you'd like! 

​9. Optional: If you want a "fried egg" on top, mash ripe avocado in a bowl, season with Indian black salt to taste (I used around 1/8 tsp), mix, then top on fried rice. If you want it warm like a fried egg, you can microwave the avocado mixture for 15-20 seconds. Enjoy! ​

This avocado "egg" is the perfect accompaniment to kimchi fried rice. Every time I eat this, I shed a tear of joy because it really tastes just like a kimchi fried rice with a sunny side egg on top. Just like the fried rice I used to eat in Korea. 

​Want to receive updates on vegan Korean cooking? 

Subscribe to get updates on new recipes, behind the scenes stories, vegan cooking ingredients, interesting news on vegan Korean food, and more!