Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Korean Kimchi Fried Rice)
Steamed rice stir-fried with sour, well-fermented kimchi, its red brine and gochujang, finished with toasted sesame oil and topped with green onion, shredded gim, sesame seeds and a fried egg.
Kimchi bokkeumbap is one of the most everyday dishes in Korea: bokkeum means stir-fried and bap means rice. Wikipedia says it is popular in South Korea, that leftover chilled rice and over-ripened kimchi are usually preferred because sour kimchi gives a richer flavor, that pork and Spam are the most common meats, and that a fried egg is sometimes put on top. Spam is no accident: Wikipedia's Spam article says that as of 2004 South Korea produced and consumed more Spam than any country except the United States).
This version is Maangchi's, the Korean-born YouTube cook. Hers is the simple one, just kimchi, rice and gochujang, and she writes that when her son lived in a school dorm and she asked what he missed most, his answer was this dish. She also breaks two of the usual rules: she uses fresh rice instead of day-old, and she adds a little water so the rice does not burn and the gochujang spreads evenly.
Why it works the kitchen science
Sour kimchi
Well-fermented kimchi is tangier and softer than fresh, so it seasons the rice with acid and depth instead of tasting raw.
A little water
Maangchi's splash of water and brine keeps the rice from scorching while the gochujang dissolves and coats every grain.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat a wide, flat skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute and add the vegetable oil.
- Step 2
Add the kimchi and stir-fry 1 minute.
- Step 3
Add the rice, kimchi juice, water and gochujang. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon about 7 minutes, until the rice is evenly red, a little crisp on the bottom and steaming hot (165°F). If you use cold rice, break up the clumps first.
- Step 4
Stir in the sesame oil and take the pan off the heat.
- Step 5
For the eggs, heat 1 tsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, crack in the eggs and fry about 3 minutes, then cover 1 to 2 minutes more, until the whites are set and the yolks are as firm as you like.
- Step 6
Spoon the rice into bowls, scatter the green onion, gim and sesame seeds over the top, add a fried egg to each bowl and serve right away.
Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Korean Kimchi Fried Rice)
Serves 2 (or 3 lighter bowls) · 2 bowls · 15 min total
Fried rice
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup chopped kimchi, aged, well-fermented and sour
- 3 cups steamed short-grain rice, cooled a little
- 1/4 cup kimchi juice (the red brine from the jar)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 to 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
- 3 tsp toasted sesame oil
To finish
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 sheet gim (roasted seaweed), shredded into strips
- 1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
- 2 large eggs and 1 tsp oil, to fry (optional)
Method
- Heat a wide, flat skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute and add the vegetable oil.
- Add the kimchi and stir-fry 1 minute.
- Add the rice, kimchi juice, water and gochujang. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon about 7 minutes, until the rice is evenly red, a little crisp on the bottom and steaming hot (165°F). If you use cold rice, break up the clumps first.
- Stir in the sesame oil and take the pan off the heat.
- For the eggs, heat 1 tsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, crack in the eggs and fry about 3 minutes, then cover 1 to 2 minutes more, until the whites are set and the yolks are as firm as you like.
- Spoon the rice into bowls, scatter the green onion, gim and sesame seeds over the top, add a fried egg to each bowl and serve right away.
Adapted from Maangchi, "Kimchi fried rice (Kimchi-bokkeumbap)" (serves 2 to 3; posted 2008, updated October 6, 2026). We follow its amounts (3 cups steamed rice, 1 cup chopped kimchi, 1/4 cup kimchi juice, 1/4 cup water, 2 to 3 tbsp gochujang, 3 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp vegetable oil, 1 green onion, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, 1 sheet gim), its 1 minute for the kimchi and its 7 minutes with the rice. She offers the fried egg as an option; we include it, and its frying time and the 165°F check are ours. Maangchi. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Maangchi likes to scrape up the lightly crisped rice from the bottom of the pan at the end.
- To dress it up, she suggests a little beef, chicken, pork, ham or Spam.
- Wikipedia suggests squeezing out the kimchi and picking off the extra filling first, or the rice can turn mushy.
- Wikipedia says it is often served with danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and a mild soup.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Use day-old rice. Disputed: Wikipedia says leftover chilled rice is usually preferred; Maangchi says she has never tasted the difference and always uses fresh rice, cooled a little.
- The kimchi must be old and sour. Documented as Maangchi's ingredient note and Wikipedia's account.
- A fried egg belongs on top. Folklore: Maangchi says many people add one but her family prefers it plain; Wikipedia says "sometimes".
- Spam is a standard add-in. Documented: Wikipedia names pork and Spam as the most common meats.
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