Kimchi Fried Rice (Bokkeumbap)

What happens when it's dinnertime, and you find the following random things in your fridge:

• Awesome mild kimchi you've been meaning to use
• Roasted chicken (or some spare pork)
• Old, dried up white rice in a takeout container

Answer: you make kimchi fried rice, one of my favorites.  An amazing addition to rice which I was skeptical about until a Korean friend made it for me, this is a pungent twist on the Chinese fried rice, and brings a bit of heat to the party as well.  It's pretty easy - you stir-fry some aromatics with the chopped kimchi, throw in some meat, toss the rice with some soy sauce, and serve with a fried egg.  I gather that this is very traditional, although Wikipedia says it more commonly uses spam than chicken, which just isn't happening in my house.  So this took care of all kinds of foods waiting in my fridge to be made into something awesome, and I didn't even have to get creative to do it.  Here's a simple diagram to explain the bulk of this dish:

Kimchi Fried Rice

• 1 cup kimchi, drained, chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked or uncooked animal protein - chicken, beef, ham, spam (if this counts), even tuna is used in Korea
• 2 cups stale, cooked white rice
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 spring / green onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp butter

Chop and separate the spring onion into the white and green parts.  Now, as with my pineapple fried rice recipe, do my favorite trick of putting the old rice in a bowl, squishing it apart, and tossing with 1/2 tbsp of the oil to coat all of the grains.  This prevents a mushy nightmare once you add it to the wok.

Heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil in a wok over its highest heat setting and add the white parts of the green onion, and stir-fry for 30 seconds.  After this, you have to figure out what protein you're using.  If it's already cooked, add it with the rice.  If it's not, throw it in first, and cook until done, then continue.

Now add the kimchi and garlic, and stir-fry for another 30-60 seconds.  If you haven't added the meat, do so now, and add the rice, tossing everything to mix evenly.  Sprinkle on the soy sauce, toss again, and allow to crisp up a little bit (2-3 minutes) to get a nice crunchy crust, if desired.

Meanwhile, fry up a single egg in the butter in another pan.  To serve, kill the heat on the rice, add the tops of the green onions, toss, and plate with the fried egg on top.  Serve with gochujang, if desired, or eat on its own.