I'm pretty sure you won't find this in any French cookbook but it is something I know how to make and thought I'd share it with you now since I made some for dinner tonight. Kimchi Bokkeum-bap (Kimchi Fried Rice) is something I learned to make while living in South Korea. Back in 1997 I spent a year in Taegu, South Korea while in the U.S. Air Force and assigned to work in a U.S. Army Unit at the "Second Republic of Korea Army" Headquarters. The television at my quarters only received one English speaking channel, the U.S. Armed Forces Network, and the rest of the shows were in Korean. Flipping channels one night I spent a few minutes watching a Korean cooking show and learned how to make this.
At least I think I learned how to make this. I spoke no Korean and could only watch and observe. I tried making it a couple of days later and it tasted great. I figured that my "recipe" must have been okay since it tasted so good. Since then it has become a family favorite and I usually make a large batch so there will be some leftovers the next day. This pretty much takes care of the introduction, now I'll share with you how simple this is to make.
This dish is best made with leftover kimchi and leftover fried rice. Hmmmm, how often do you find leftover kimchi in your fridge? Well, if you do in the future you now will be prepared with a recipe! The beauty of Kimchi Fried Rice is its simplicity and how quickly it can be prepared. Leftover rice actually works best because of its drier texture. Really fresh, moist rice can get a bit gummy and glumpy so rice that is a day or two old is ideal for this dish. For meat I usually add a pound of sausage and brown it in the pan before adding anything else. Kimchi Fried Rice, however, can be made with just about any protein (beef, chicken, fish, and even bacon). I suppose it would even work with possum, camel, or rhinoceros if you had any of those leftover in your fridge. Once the sausage is browned simply stir in the rice. Proportions? Hmmm, you need to use whatever amounts you want! I typically use one pound of sausage for every (approximate) six to eight cups of cooked rice. Remember, you don't need to use any protein at all so if you have a little more or less meat it isn't critical.
The rice is stirred in with the sausage while the stove is kept at a moderate high heat and the rice begins to brown just a bit. After the rice has browned just a little, it is time to add the kimchi. Again, the amount isn't critical but I usually use a full jar from the grocery store - perhaps about two cups? This time around I even used a bit more because I had a larger jar leftover. Normally, the kimchi is the only spice which is added to the rice and sausage and, quite honestly, is the only flavoring that's needed.
I need to take a minute to chat about kimchi. Have you ever had it? No? Well, then you're missing out. Some people are afraid to try it because it is usually described as a "fermented vegetable dish" and find that description to be a bit scary. Think of it more like a "pickled" vegetable. Just as there are many varieties of pickles - dill, sweet, garlic, etc -- there are many varieties of kimchi. The most common is made with salted Napa cabbage and spices but some varieties are made with other vegetables such as cucumber or radish.
Kimchi usually has a pretty spice kick because of the red pepper flakes used. The process of making kimchi was a way of preserving the vegetables without refrigeration. That's something that always has me scratching my head a bit since you find kimchi in the refrigerated vegetable section of the supermarket with instructions on the jar to "keep refrigerated." Probably the best way to describe the taste of the common cabbage kimchi would be "pungent and red pepper spicy with a bit of a vinegary taste." Hmmmm, I'm still not making it sound very appealing but it really is good.
Now here's the interesting thing about kimchi fried rice -- be sure to try some even if you aren't crazy about the taste of kimchi. Mixing the kimchi in with the rice completely mellows out the kimchi spiciness and sourness. Trust me, the rice is crazy good! Back to cooking -- the final step after the rice and sausage have cooked together for a few minutes is to add as much kimchi to it as you wish. Taste as it cooks and you'll see that the kimchi flavor really mellows out when cooked together with the rice.
How long do you cook everything once the kimchi is added? I cook it enough to warm up the cold kimchi but I like to keep a little of the crispiness with the cabbage. The longer you cook it the soggier it will become. Remember, I watched the cooking show in Korean -- I have no idea what they said so I just cook it until it tastes the way I like it!
I hope you like this as much as I do. I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow -- I've already got some leftover kimch bokkeum-bap packed and ready to go!
Bon Appetit, or should I say, "Bab Sig-Yog!"
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