Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice is packed full of flavour thanks to the fermented cabbage. Fried with vegetables and rice it makes for a really hearty dish.
Korean food
Korean fried rice (or Bokkeumba) is a delicious dish made up of leftover rice, veggies and that quintessential Korean ingredient: kimchi.
It's a dish that's made all over Korea as it's so easy to make and packed full of flavour.
What do you need to make vegan kimchi fried rice?
One of the great things about this vegan kimchi fried rice recipe is that it's a great way of clearing out your fridge. You can add pretty much any vegetable you like making it an incredibly versatile dish.
For this recipe I've chosen:
- Carrots
- Yellow peppers
- Spring onions
- and of course
- kimchi.
In traditional kimchi fried rice recipes it's also common to have meat - such as cubed pork / bacon lardons. I like to use a vegan bacon alternative to add some extra smokey, salty flavour but these are optional.
What is kimchi?
Kimchi is a type of fermented condiment made from cabbage and other vegetables. It’s a type of Korean food that is served alongside a wide range of dishes. The process is known as lacto-fermentation which is similar to how preserves like sauerkraut.
It’s made by brineing the cabbage, draining it then rubbing it with a spice paste made from garlic, ginger, sugar and gochugaru as well as fish sauce (not very vegan!) Once the spice paste has been added to the cabbage and any other vegetables being used it is jarred and left to ferment.
Is kimchi vegan?
The traditional recipe for kimchi includes one particular ingredient that means it isn't vegan friendly - fish sauce.
The good news is that if you look closely at the labels of different varieties it's not always used. Just read the labels carefully to pick a kimchi without fish sauce.
Of course if you want to be really sure the kimchi is vegan then you can make your own!
The recipe
Vegan Kimchi Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 0.5 inch root ginger minced
- 75 g vegan lardons
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 150 g vegan kimchi roughly chopped
- 50 g frozen peas
- 400 g rice cooked
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 spring onions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds to just coat with the oil.
- (If using add the vegan lardons and fry for 5 minutes).
- Add the diced carrots and yellow pepper.
- Cook for 4 - 5 minutes until soft.
- Add in the green peas and kimchi and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Stir in the rice and fry for 5 - 8 minutes.
- Season with the soy sauce as needed.
- Serve with the spring onions.
Nutrition
More kimchi recipes
Vegan Kimchi Pancakes
What's your favourite way to eat kimchi?
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