Kimchi Fried Rice or Noodles
Ten minutes, built for a night when the shop has no miso and you have no patience. Frying the kimchi is the key move — it softens the sharp bite and turns it deeply savoury.
why it works
Kimchi is a fermented food, so it brings genuine gut-microbiome benefit alongside the flavour, and light heating keeps most of that intact. Almost no saturated fat, plenty of carbohydrate to replace what a morning run took out.
Ingredients
- chicken mini fillets, beef strips, or eggs
- a pouch of microwave jasmine or basmati rice, or egg or udon noodles
- a bag of stir-fry greens, spinach, or spring onions
- 2 big scoops of kimchi, plus a splash of the juice from the jar
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey or sugar
- sesame seeds, spray oil
Method
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Splash of spray oil in a pan and cook the chicken or beef until golden — or fry the eggs and set them aside.
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Two big scoops of kimchi and a splash of the jar juice into the pan. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until it softens and turns properly aromatic. This step is what separates it from just stirring cold kimchi through hot rice.
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Pre-cooked rice or noodles in, with a couple of handfuls of greens.
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Drizzle over the soy and honey and toss over high heat for 2 minutes until everything is hot and glossy.
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Serve topped with the crispy fried egg, another drizzle of soy, and sesame seeds.
remix
- Brothy version with miso: sear the protein and kimchi, add 500ml stock and veg, simmer 3–4 minutes, then whisk 1.5 tbsp miso with warm broth in a mug and stir it in off the heat
- No miso anywhere? 1 tbsp peanut butter with 1–2 tbsp soy and hot water makes a rich nutty sauce that goes wildly well with kimchi
- A crispy fried egg on top is the correct finish
- Beef strips or firm tofu instead of chicken
- Spring onions and sesame seeds if you have them