Healthy Kimchi Fried Rice

Today we would like to share with you how to make a healthier kimchi fried rice at home, it is also super delicious!

There are a lot of kimchi fried rice recipes on the internet.

However, fried rice can be an unhealthy food since it contains too many carbs. After having a bowl of fried rice, you gonna feel so full while lacking protein and veggies.

So we develop this healthier version for you, which can be easily done within 20 minutes.

This is also a lazy recipe, we will only use one cast iron pot. In the end, you only need to wash 1 pan, and 3 bowls.

(Also, the cast iron is so heavy, which makes it hard to pick it up and dump the food.)

Why use cast iron for home-cook fried rice?

Traditionally, fried rice is supposed to cook in a wok. If you are cooking stir fry over high heat, it will have a nice flavor called “wok hei” 鑊氣 (in Cantonese), which means the breath of wok.

Usually, the commercial stoves in the Chinese restaurants are way higher than the stove in our house. Like Chef Wang Gang’s stove for example.

One of the reasons that we can’t easily get the “wok hei” at home, is because once you add the cold ingredient into your wok, the temperature will drop quickly inside the work.

The carbon steel wok can’t maintain the heat as long as a cast iron skillet.

Therefore in order to achive the best flavor, also says to maintain the heat better when you cook, I found out it is better to use a cast iron pan instead.

Back to the cast iron pan, it can maintain in high heat really well, so when you cook, it will be easier to brown the meat, instead of getting watery.

Other Choices That We Made

• Using leftover rice

With less moisture compared to fresh rice, the leftover rice will be great fried rice. Also, make sure not to overwater it on the previous day when you cook the rice.

You can even substitute the white rice with brown rice for a healthier option.

• Veggie Choice

we use frozen diced veggies, to save time on chopping

Plus some cabbage. To me, the cabbage is a standard for the fried rice dish!

• Protein

We use ground pork in the recipe, which will also save you some time on chopping.

You can also use chicken, beef, or shrimp,

Another thing I found out, is to marinate the protein with chopped kimchi. While you cook the meat inside the pot, the kimchi will also add up some flavor and make everything taste amazing.

• Garnish with furikake & green scallion

Furikake is a Japanese condiment that usually contains seaweed and sesame. It will add up so much flavor to the rice at the end.

• Salt the rice

For me, when I was a beginner at cooking fried rice, 70% of the time I always over salt the rice, which will ruin the dish.

Now my tip is to add only a small amount of salt each time you add a new ingredient. For example, when you add 1 cup of a pea, it is easier to imagine this small handful of salt will be enough, which will be safer compared to add a big amount of salt at the end.

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