Easy DIY Kimchi Fried Rice - A Delicious Detox Superfood

I don't know about you, but I freakin' love Korean food.

Kimchi Fried Rice - Photo by Jaryl Cabuco of The Fitted Life

How often have you gone to a Korean restaurant, ordered kimchi stone pot rice, and finished your meal just wanting more? 

If you ask me, the answer is: all the freakin' time.

So, being tired of having to go to the restaurants to get my (overpriced) fix, I decided to make my own. While I searched for an easy DIY recipe for kimchi, I found out that kimchi is actually really good for you, owing to its fermented nature. It especially helps to promote the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria like lactobacilli, which are important for digestion and can help to prevent problems like yeast and urine infections, inflammation processes like acne and eczema, and many more. 

So naturally, I thought - healthy and tasty? Bring it on!

I used this easy recipe from a Youtuber to make the kimchi. The result:

Hallelujah.

This recipe from well-known Korean food blogger Maangchi is also a great one - but I found the youtube video above easier to follow. I did adapt my recipe and used Maangchi's tip of adding rice flour to the kimchi juice to thicken it, and it does seem to help ferment the kimchi better as the juice would be more well distributed within the jar rather than sinking to the bottom. I also fermented it using Maangchi's method of storing the kimchi in a dark place at room temperature for 1-2 days before storing it in the fridge.

The kimchi can usually keep for a long time - they say up to 2 months, but I usually eat it within 2 weeks anyway. Often fried with rice and a runny fried egg on top - YUUUUUM :)

fried egg on kimchi fried rice

runny eggs are the only way to go ;)

Kimchi pancakes are a great way to have kimchi too! I like my pancakes fluffy and thick rather than in the crepes that you can get in restaurants...I like to think the flour absorbs some of the spice - it sure helps!

Do you like kimchi? How do you eat it?

Nikki