Hands down the BEST Korean comfort food is homemade Gochujang Fried Rice with Leftover Ham. This easy Korean kimchi fried rice ( bokkeum-bap (볶음밥) can be on your table in about 15 minutes flat with just 6 pantry ingredients. Top it off with a fried egg and mix in leftover Air Fryer Ham for a delicious spicy, sweet, and savory flavor experience.
We must warn you; this gochujang rice is addictive! Each satisfying bite is packed with kimchi that sweetens when stir fried and has a little kick of spice from the gochujang sauce. When you use left over rice, like in our recipe for Hong Kong Fried Rice, the little individual grains of rice get a little crispy too. If you like a little drippy fried egg indulgence, you may even need a “personal moment” to enjoy your bowl of Korean egg fried rice!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
Are you ready? Just 6 little ingredients to make a delicious lunch, dinner or anytime snack and 2 of the ingredients are optional.
Kimchi
Its an essential Korean ingredient made by fermented vegetables like napa cabbage and daikon with a probiotic and ground Korean chili for a delicious gut friendly addition to your diet. The best part about using kimchi is there is no need to add any aromatics like garlic and onions as it is already packed with flavor and is gluten-free.
After all the holiday indulgencing, getting your gut health back is a high priority. Do you have a huge container like us? Then try our Kimchi Salmon with Rainbow Pickles and Creamy Kimchi Pasta. Once you open a jar of kimchi, it is best to store it in the refrigerator and use within 3 months.
Leftover Rice
Cold rice is the best option and a great way to use up the items in the refrigerator. You can use any type of rice you like such as jasmine, short-grained sushi rice, brown rice, etc. The reason to use cold leftover rice is to prevent the fried rice from getting mushy.
If you use fresh warm rice, stir frying it will just add more moisture and it make it soggy. Leftover rice is firm and more apt to keep the individual grains of rice separate so they can pick up all the flavors of the fried rice.
Gochujang
This is a fermented Korean red Chili paste made from chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybean powder, barley malt powder and salt. This paste is a spicy, savory, and sweet which gives a delicious umami flavor to any gochujang sauce recipes. Bibimbap is not authentic without a good dollop of gochujang sauce mixed in.
If you have an allergen to wheat-based products you will need to investigate alternative brands such as Koko Gochujang or Wegmans gochujang. These two options are both vegan and gluten-free.
In a pinch, you may substitute gochujang with a little miso with Sriracha sauce or Thai chili paste but it does not have the same flavor profile.
Ham
Have you tried our Air Fryer Ham with Cranberry Glaze recipe? It is fantastic in this gochujang fried rice recipe. A little salty, sweet and mmm… delicious.
Don’t have leftover ham, try Spam! However, we highly suggest you stir fry it a little with the kimchi first to give it those little toasty edges. You can also use honey deli ham in a pinch.
To make this recipe vegan, hold the ham. Instead, add in veggies, mushrooms or even a little fried tofu.
Green onions
This fresh ingredient is optional. However, a little pop of green brightens up this Korean crispy rice recipe.
Fried egg
Who can resist a little runny sunny side up egg over fried rice? So good! It’s another optional ingredient. However, once you try it, you will never serve this gochujang pork recipe again without it.
Easy Step by Step Instructions
The most important step is to prep all your ingredients before you heat up your wok or frying pan. Chop up your kimchi, leftover ham and green onion as when you turn on the burner the whole dish will be cooked in about 5 minutes.
- Add oil to pan or wok and add chopped kimchi. Stir fry until all the moisture has absorbed.
- Put a dollop of gochujang sauce in the pan and stir fry until aromatic. You may need to add a little more oil as needed to prevent sticking.
- Add the rice and stir fry until all the grains of rice are coated with gochujang sauce.
- To the fried rice, add the chopped leftover ham and green onions and stir fry until aromatic. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
- If you fancy a fried egg on top, fry up a sunny side up egg.
- Serve up Gochujang fried rice with leftover ham on a plate with or without a fried egg as desired.
Tips for Success
- Always used leftover cold rice. Do not use warm freshly cooked rice or you will end up with soggy gummy rice- not nice!
- Stir fry your kimchi until all the moisture is removed. This prevents your rice from getting soggy. In addition, it makes the sour spicy kimchi naturally sweet.
- Adjust the amount of gochujang to your preferred spice and heat level.
- Chop your leftover ham in small cubes. It is always nicer to eat stir fries when all the items in the dish are about the same size.
- Mix it up and add any fresh vegetables bits and bobs you have the crisper.
- To make vegan, hold the ham and add mushrooms, fried tofu, or vegetables of choice.
- Traditional gochujang is not gluten-free. If you have celiac or a gluten sensitivity, please try one of the gluten free options like Koko or Wegmans.
How to Serve
Ok, we are not going to lie, we eat it straight from the wok. (smiling) You can certainly eat it plain.
However, if you do not have an egg allergy, you must give the sunny side up egg on top a try. There is something magical about having that runny delicious yolk mix with the savory, spicy and slightly sweet kimchi with rice. Heavenly!
If you were living in Korea, you would be using those gosh darn metal chopsticks to eat this dish and not a fork. Believe if or not, we are very proficient using "wooden" chopsticks. However, if we had to live the rest of our lives eating with only "metal" slippery chopsticks we would be super skinny. Hey, that might be our go to plan for the new year! (smiling) Have you ever tried eating with metal chopsticks?
Did you know this interesting theory? Some say that this tradition of eating with metal chopsticks started a long time ago to make sure that the rulers were not poisoned. Metal chopsticks can easily tarnish when they are exposed to corrosive substances.
No Special Equipment
Feel free to use a wok or a large frying pan for this kimchi fried rice recipe. However, the MOST important thing to remember is DO NOT CROWD THE WOK or PAN.
If you add a lot of ingredients to your wok, you are not stir frying but steaming. That is not the effect you are going for. To achieve the best results, you want to fry the ingredients with lots of room, so they stay dry and crisp. If you plan on doubling this recipe, do it in two separate stir fry sessions.
What to Serve It With?
Gochujang fried rice with leftover ham is a meal all by itself. However, you may want to serve along with these other tasty side dishes or mains.
Sides: When in doubt, more veggies are always a good choice. Try our Garlicky Sesame Stir Fried Green Beans, Stir Fried Romaine Lettuce or 5 Minute Stir Fried Garlic Pea Shoots.
Mains: Korean Beef BBQ Kalbi is extra delicious with a little fried rice and extra kimchi on the side.
Appetizers: Baked Dduk Lavered with Bacon is an oldie but a goodie.
How to store
Do you think you are going to have leftovers? You are an optimist.
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, please store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Korean kimchi fried rice is delicious in bento boxes and lunches.
We do not suggest freezing your gochujang fried rice with leftover ham. It’s a texture thing. If the texture thing does not bother you, you can store in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
You can eat kimchi cold right out of the jar. Kimchi is also delicious cooked in fried rice, creamy kimchi pasta and our kimchi salmon and rainbow pickles.
This spicy paste is fabulous in ramen soup, bibimbap, slathered on grilled cheese sandwiches, omelets, fried rice and noodles just to name a few.
We like to mix a little miso paste with Sriracha sauce or use a Thai chili paste.
More Delicious Rice Recipes
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Gochujang Fried Rice with Leftover Ham
Equipment
- Wok or large frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
reserve 1 tablespoon to fry egg - 1 cup kimchi roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons gochujang paste increase as much as desired to reach your desired heat and spice level.
- 2 cups cooked rice (day old cold leftover rice) We used Jasmine white rice but you can use any type of cooked rice like brown, long grain, sushi, etc. Do NOT use instant rice.
- 1 cup ham chopped (or spam) We really love the combination of our slightly sweet cranberry glazed ham with the spicy kimchi. Honey ham is also delicious.
- salt and pepper
to taste (white pepper) - 3 green onions chopped - optional
- 2 whole eggs optional
Instructions
- Place oil in wok/pan and heat on medium heat. Add chopped kimchi to the pan and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until all of the moisture is gone. This keeps your rice crispy and makes the kimchi sweeter.
- Next, add a little dollop of gochujang paste and stir fry. If sticking occurs, add a little extra oil. 2 teaspoons makes this recipe mild to medium. If you want it spicy, add more gochujang paste to taste.
- Add in cold leftover rice and stir fry until well incorporated. Next, add the chopped ham, season to taste with salt and white pepper. Add the chopped green onion if desired and stir fry until all the rice is coated. If you like your rice a little crunchy stir fry for a couple of minutes longer.
How to Serve
- You can serve the Korean fried rice as is or serve with a sunny side up egg. The fried egg is optional.
- To make a Korean fried egg, turn your burner on to medium heat. Place a little oil in a heated pan and break open the egg into the pan. Fry the egg sunny side up for about 2.5 minutes or until the white of the egg is set but the yellow yolk is still runny.
- Serve with or without a fried egg on top. Garnish with a few sliced green onions, if desired and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Always used leftover cold rice. Do not use warm freshly cooked rice or you will end up with soggy gummy rice- not nice!
- Stir fry your kimchi until all the moisture is removed. This prevents your rice from getting soggy. In addition, it makes the sour spicy kimchi naturally sweet.
- Adjust the amount of gochujang to your preferred spice and heat level.
- Chop your leftover ham in small cubes. It is always nicer to eat stir fries when all the items in the dish are about the same size. We really enjoy the sweeter cranberry glazed air fryer ham or a honey ham as it is a nice flavor profile with the spicy kimchi.
- Mix it up and add any fresh vegetables bits and bobs you have the crisper.
- To make vegan, hold the ham and add mushrooms, fried tofu, or vegetables of choice.
- Traditional gochujang is not gluten-free. If you have celiac or a gluten sensitivity, please try one of the gluten free options like Koko or Wegmans.
- If you want to make this recipe vegan, hold the ham and eggs. Instead, add stir fried vegetables, mushrooms or fried tofu.
- If you need a substitute for gochujang paste you can mix 1 teaspoon of miso paste to 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce or use Thai chili paste.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
What a great idea to do a blog hop. We don't eat rice that often but it's always good to have new recipes to try 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
I have met so many new lovely bloggers this way. A blog hop was a real fun idea.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
How wonderful!! I love the spiciness in the fried rice.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Maureen. Can you get Kimchi in Australia or is this difficult for you to come by?
mjskit says
Only you would have a lifetime supply of kimchi in the fridge. 🙂 Like your boys, I love my fried rice dry and crispy just like you've cooked it here. A spicy and tasty recipe with the bok choy and kimchi. Great recipe to share with us and thanks for introducing me to Kelly.
Healthy World Cuisine says
I know you would like the spice. I know it is different from the Mexican spice but it really is flavourful. Now, I just need to come up with a million more ways to use up my lifetime supply of Kimchi... Please stop over to "A Little Side of Sweet" and say hello to Kelly. Take Care
Eha says
As I have cooked brown rice in my fridge 5 out of 7 will have to try this as soon as I get my next lot of kimchi from 'civilization' 🙂 ! Have not tried this with bok choi or added the green onions and just have to try! For me this would be a delicious full meal . .
Healthy World Cuisine says
This is the perfect meal for one. Actually, make the whole thing and if you get a little leftover, it is even better the next day. Is it difficult to find Kimchi in Australia? It is kept in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Maybe you have an Asian grocery store near you...I love pantry fried rice as it the perfect way to use up those little bobs and bits of veggies in your crisper. Wishing you a super week!
Karista says
I am loving this recipe! We love stir frys and my husband loves kimchi on everything. Definitely a must make recipe. Thanks for sharing Bam! Karista
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Karista! Kimchi is a huge hit in our house too. Thank goodness I just bought a lifetime supply at the "Parknshop" last week. Did you happen to see the post that I featured you in? Here is the link my dearest sauce guru..https://www.hwcmagazine.com/dietary-restrictions/glutenfree/mushroom-chicken-with-brandy-sauce/
bakeaffairs says
The pictures are beautiful and mouth watering!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you dear! Wishing you a super week!
nancyc says
What a beautiful and healthy-looking side dish–great photos, too, BAM! 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks so much Nancy. I keep working on my photography and one day hopefully I will be as good as you!
Dawn says
I love pantry fried rice!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Me too! I love your video with you as a cooking show host showing how to make your Girl Scout Cookie Pie, even more!!! Congratulations, Dawn I am so proud of you!
shashi at runninsrilankan says
Oh wow - this sounds amazing! I especially like how the kimchi morphs into something all together different when heated up! I have gotta try this! Thanks so much for sharing!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Shashi! I did a lot of taste testing and experimenting with the recipe and it really is amazing how the kimchi transforms when stir fried and the moisture is removed. Kimchi goes from a sour and spicy condiment to a slightly sweet and less spicy condiment when it is cooked. Who would have known! I guess that makes a lot of sense as when you cook cabbage on the grill it gets sweet too.
cookinginsens says
Great pictures.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you, so glad you liked them.
The Foodie Affair says
This is the way to add kimchi to my diet! Fantastic! Thanks for introducing me to Kelly's page!
Healthy World Cuisine says
"A little Side of Sweet" by Kelly is a great little healthy recipe and lifestyle blog, I know you will love.
Jasline @ Foodie Baker says
This looks amazing! I love, love, love kimchi, so I'll definitely need a huge bowl of this
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks you Jasline! Let me know when you stop by HK next and I will make you a huge bowl. Take Care
Jasline @ Foodie Baker says
Best idea ever! 😉
Gerlinde says
My hubbie loves fried rice and I am in the process of making my own easy kimchi for the first time. I have to wait a couple more days to see if it is any good. Your recipe looks fantastic.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Bravo @Gerlinde! Making your own kimchi from scratch is a big task. Please let me know when you post that recipe as I can't wait to try that myself. However, we first need to use up this lifetime supply that I bought in the Park n shop first.
Gerlinde says
I made your recipe and it was delicious. My homemade Kimchi is good, it is an an old Sunset recipe.
mimi says
This looks ridiculously wonderful!!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Mimi, for only 6 ingredients and less than 15 minutes this one is my kind of meal.
thecompletebook says
Love fried rice and this must be the best recipe I have seen Bam.
Have a beautiful weekend.
🙂 Mandy xo
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Mandy! Wishing you a super weekend/week as well.