How it Started

I discovered just how simple it is to make kimchi fried rice two years ago, after I had my firstborn son. My mental health wasn’t doing too well after finding out that my second degree tear hadn’t healed well, and I had to undergo three procedures to correct it. In order to make myself food good again, I decided to exercise and watch my eating habit. 

I stumbled upon tons of Korean cooking channels on YouTube, which led me to One Meal a Day. One particular video was their ____ video. And from then on, I started making kimchi fried rice as a diet meal.

Wait a minute–isn’t rice bad for you?

That would depend on you and your definition of bad. I grew up on rice; I eat Jasmine rice and multigrain rice. (Although brown rice is known to be the best dietary rice, I’m not fond of it.) Jasmine rice contains 39 grams of carbs per serving, brown rice contains 45 grams, and multigrain rice contains 33 grams. If you’re watching calories, Jasmine rice contains 181 grams per serving, while the latter two have 160 calories.

Do numbers really matter? In my case, no. Serving size is what matters to me. I watch my rice and other carbs intake. (Other good carbs to consider include–surprise!–potatoes, sweet potato, and beets.) Some days I intake no carbs with my meal.

Aside from rice, what makes Kimchi Fried Rice good for us?

To begin with–kimchi! Kimchi is made from fermented Napa cabbage. Kimchi is loaded with health benefits, from good bacteria for gut health to strengthened hair and nails.

You can also enhance these benefits by adding vegetables and protein. I like to add carrots, onions, and whatever vegetables are in the fridge. I also enjoy kimchi fried rice with eggs, beef, and pork belly. Kimchi fried rice is actually very versatile. For this particular recipe, I’m using asparagus, a carrot, an onion, and thin beef cuts.

Enjoy my Kimchi Fried Rice (with Vegetables & Marinaded Beef) recipe:

1. 6-8 asparagus, chopped
2. 1 carrot, julienned 
3. 1 onion, sliced 
4. 2 c kimchi, chopped
5. 2 c cooked rice 
6. Salt
7. Oil 
8. 3-4 Tbsp Ssamjang (Korean dipping sauce)

For marinaded beef:

1. 1 lb thinly cut beef
2. 2 Tbsp soy sauce 
3. 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
4. Black pepper, to taste 

Directions:

1. Marinade the beef in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper for at least 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, cut up the asparagus, carrot, onion, and kimchi. Then, on medium-high heat, cook the asparagus, carrot, and onion individually in a bit of oil and salt. Set them aside on a platter as you move on to the beef.
3. Cook the beef on high for 2-5 minutes, until they have colored. Then remove this as well.
4. Cook the chopped kimchi until it heats through, then return the vegetables to the pan to heat through.
5. Now push all the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the rice, ssamjang, and beef, and mix everything together thoroughly.
6. Enjoy piping hot. 
7. Optional: Enjoy with an over easy egg.

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