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.

Korean Spicy Pork Barbeque (Daeji Bulgogi)

I'm starting to think that most street food, no matter what culture it's from, can be replicated at home.  I'm not talking about that certain special something that years of experience grants to these road warriors, but I am convinced that certain staple foods you can get in ethnic restaurants are easy to duplicate.  Hot on the heels of my pho experience, I attempted to make pork bulgogi - a Korean barbeque dish served in restaurants all over the country, and becoming popular here.  Restaurants are popular because either you cook the food yourself, or the food is cooked right in front of you.  And unlike the pho recipe from last time, I was able to cook this cheaper and faster than the restaurant alternative, and escaped being gouged for what is, if nothing else, just a glorified marinated pork dish.  The experience started me thinking: what other foods am I overpaying for, that I could make on my own?  So now what?  Cuban sandwiches?  Gyros?  Wait and see, I guess.

Cooking Korean bbq at home - you won't believe how easy this is

Kimchi Jeon (Kimchi Pancakes)

As I explore more ingredients from Asia, I've become curious about the different ways people use kimchi.  Pickled cabbage seems to be the lynchpin in a slew of different Korean recipes, used in everything from their Korean BBQ to fried rice recipes.  A Korean friend of mine mentioned that they make kimchi into pancakes, much like potato pancakes.  I had to try this.  And other than the fact that these came out a bit thicker than I was envisioning, they were unbelievably delicious, crisp, tart, and made for a great meal that probably could have been an appetizer for many folks had I not been so keen on destroying them in a small group setting.

How could these possibly be bad?!

Kimchi Jeon
Saveur, November 2009
Serves 4-6

These savory pancakes are flavored with ground pork and chopped kimchi.  This recipe makes about 25 small pancakes; you can also cook large ones that fit the bottom of the skillet and slice them into wedges.

• ¼ lb ground pork (I used chicken in a pinch once, but pork is preferred)
• 2 cups chopped cabbage kimchi
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup rice flour
• 6 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 10.5 tbsp canola oil
• Kosher salt to taste

Combine ground pork, kimchi, flour, rice flour, scallions, egg, and 1 cup ice cold water in a bowl; whisk to combine.  Set aside to let rest for 10 minutes.

Chop up your kimchi.  I got mine at the Asian grocery store - you might be able to find it in the refrigerated produce section of a normal store.

Measure out the pork and green onions.

Mix all ingredients together to get a consistency that looks like chicken salad.  It's important to use ice water.

Working in 7 batches, heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a 12” nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Scoop 4 2 tbsp portions batter into skillet.  Flatten each portion with the back of a spoon.  Cook until edges crisp, about 2 minutes.  Flip pancakes, cook until set, about 2 minutes.  Transfer pancakes to paper towels and wipe out skillet after each batch.  

I spread my pancakes out wide in the pan, making just a few large ones.  But you could do smaller, more human-sized pancakes

Serve sprinkled with salt, and garnish with a sweet and / or spicy dipping sauce.  I recommend a sweet chili-garlic sauce, but you could even do a spicy ranch if you were really desperate.