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Vegan kimchi fried rice is a great way to explore the vibrant flavour that kimchi offers, as well as Korean flavours.
This year, we've been exploring fermented foods. We first fermented cabbage to make sauerkraut for our Vegan Oktoberfest event, and it was a big hit. We really enjoyed the process, so moved on to what seemed like a bigger challenge – kimchi! It's spicy, sour, crunchy and even a little fizzy (if you let it ferment for long enough!).
An introduction to fermentation
We learnt everything we know about fermenting from the very talented Erin Baker, of the wonderful Natural Cookery School (check her out if you haven't already as she's awesome), when Jess attended one of her fermentation cookery classes. We're looking forward to making more fermented foods in the coming months!
So, what is kimchi anyway?
Kimchi is a traditional Korean condiment. It contains Chinese cabbage, spring onions, white onions, garlic, ginger and Korean chilli flakes – gochugaru. It usually takes around 10 days to ferment.
Kimchi is the ultimate condiment in Korea. It’s served with basically every meal, like salt and pepper in the UK! In our opinion, Kimchi is delicious, and does actually make everything better!
You can find out even more about Kimchi by checking out our guide: The Lowdown on Kimchi.
Is Kimchi vegan?
Traditionally, kimchi contains fish sauce or shrimp paste, so if you're buying some from a shop, make sure to check the ingredients.
We've tested this vegan kimchi fried rice rigorously, so know how delicious it is – and we're confident you'll love it!
Top tip: taste the dish before you add chilli flakes in addition to the kimchi. Our kimchi packs a punch so it may not need the extra chilli hit. However, go with whatever floats your boat!
This Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice is:
- Super quick to make
- Spicy
- Fermented
- Easy to adapt!
If you don’t want your vegan kimchi fried rice to be too spicy, there’s some things you can do. Don’t add extra chilli flakes, and taste your kimchi before adding it to the dish. You could always add an extra half a tablespoon (or full tablespoon!) of maple syrup to the stir-fry sauce. That way you’ll end up with a slightly milder finished product!
Vegan Kimchi Fried rice
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan kimchi fried rice comes together in just 20 minutes, and brings together the fizzy fermented flavour of Kimchi and a classic fried rice. We hope you love it!
Ingredients
For the stir-fry:
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 cup kimchi – chopped
- 200g exotic mushrooms (mix of King Oyster, Enoki and Shimeji)
- 150g tender-stem broccoli
- 150g carrots – sliced
- 100g green beans – chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
For the sauce:
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp Gochujang Korean chilli paste
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
To garnish (optional):
- 2 spring onions – sliced
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Put the rice on to cook, if you’re not using pre-cooked or leftover rice. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse.
- Mix all of the stir-fry sauce together in a bowl, then set aside.
- In a wok, add one tablespoon of sesame oil and bring up to a medium heat.
- Fry the garlic for 30 seconds, then add in the mushrooms (minus enoki mushrooms, if using) and fry for another few minutes. Garlic burns quickly so be careful!
- Add the kimchi and the rest of the vegetables and fry for 5 minutes.
- Pop the cooked rice into the wok and stir.
- Pour in the stir-fry sauce and mix well. Make sure everything is piping hot and then serve with garnishes such as sesame seeds and sliced spring onions.
Equipment
Notes
You can add chilli flakes if you’d like, but we find the kimchi and Gochujang paste make this dish spicy enough.
Taste your kimchi before cooking with it. If it’s quite spicy, consider adding another half a tablespoon or full tablespoon of maple syrup to the stir-fry sauce.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir-Fry
- Cuisine: Korean
Keywords: Vegan kimchi fried rice, Korean kimchi rice,
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