SPAM & KIMCHI FRIED RICE
SPAM & KIMCHI FRIED RICE
#SIAintheKitchen
I always make extra rice with the intention of cooking it up into a fried rice. Doesn’t everyone else do that or is that just me? Okay – maybe it’s just me.
Seriously speaking, spam and kimchi fried rice is a go-to in my kitchen. I typically always have a jar of kimchi somewhere in my fridge and spam doesn’t ever run out in my pantry. My house never runs out of rice ever (I was told this was bad luck?!) so having these ingredients on-hand all the time makes this dish super accessible and economical.
A couple rules about fried rice in general:
Use day-old rice. If you use freshly-cooked rice to make fried rice, you’re asking for a disaster. Fresh rice will yield a mushy mess. There is so much moisture in rice that has been newly cooked that it will just soak up all the oil and soy sauce that goes into the dish. Having the rice sit in the fridge overnight or even for few days, which is my personal preference, allows for the rice to dry out – do that.
Have all ingredients ready to go. Preparedness is so important when stir-frying. The wok is super hot and everything cookies quite quickly. Really, it shouldn’t take more than 5 – 10 minutes to make fried rice if you’re doing it correctly. Having your ingredients ready to go makes the process seamless and easy – organization is key!
High heat. In order for the soy sauce to caramelize, you will need the warm up the wok to a high heat. Akin to having your ingredients ready at-hand, the wok will need to stay atleast at a medum-high consistently. There’s no need to move the rice around frequently – it’s okay to leave it stationary to obtain some colour on the rice and to get that caramelized flavour.
Enough about Fried Rice 101 – Spam and kimchi is a classic combo. That, or sub out bacon for the Spam. What’s not to like about this salty and spicy bowl of carbs?
SPAM & KIMCHI FRIED RICE – serves 4 – 6
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 shallots, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp gochugaru
1 cup kimchi, diced
1 can Spam, diced
2 free range eggs, scrambled
6 cups jasmine rice, day old
4 tbsp soy sauce, more if needed
3 scallion stalks, sliced
salt + pepper, to taste
toasted sesame seeds (optional)
free range eggs, sunny-side up (optional)
In a large wok, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
Start sautéing your aromatics (shallots and garlic) until softened. Add in the kimchi and gochugaru to draw out the sourness.
Add in the Spam and saute until browned. Push the aromatics and the Spam to the side and pour in the eggs into the wok. Swirl and scramble the eggs with your spatula until cooked.
When ready, add in the rice and break up any chunks that you may have. Add in the soy sauce and ensure that everything is tossed together and stir fry. Season with salt and pepper and finish with scallions and sesame seeds for garnish. Top with a fried egg and serve immediately.