Come for Breakfast: Kimchi Fried Rice with Broccolini, Egg, Bacon

Kimchi Stir-Fried Rice
Kimchi Bokkeumbap 김치볶음밥

with Broccolini, Egg, and Bacon
Fried Ginger, Toasted Seaweed

My friends over at the Creative Cooking Crew are asking, “What’s for Breakfast? Show us what would you make for breakfast if you had weekend guests…”

My house guests are hardly surprised when served a dish influenced by Korean recipes or ingredients. It continues to be an honor to have many of those dishes featured in the Korea Herald Business and K POP Buddy. Breakfast at Chez Lori Lynn is almost always savory rather than sweet (unless my nephews are visiting). How breakfast is served is important too – fresh flowers from my garden, stylish service-ware, pretty linens (thanks to Peg for the charming tea towels), and bold Italian roast coffee.

Even those who aren’t ardent fans of cabbage kimchi, seem to like kimchi fried rice – because sautéing the kimchi mellows that fermented edginess while retaining all the flavor. I was enjoying the kimchi bokkeumbap at a neighborhood Korean restaurant with its vibrant orange hue and runny yellow egg yolk – but I found myself craving green. So when I remade the dish at home for guests, the addition of steamed broccolini lightly seasoned with sesame oil, sea salt, and gochugaru created the perfect balance of color, texture, flavor, and nutrition. The broccolini hybrid originated in Japan as a cross between broccoli and gai-lan (Chinese broccoli) so with its Asian roots, it pairs very well with kimchi fried rice.

Kimchi Stir-Fried Rice Recipe

Fried Ginger

Slice strips of fresh ginger root with a vegetable peeler. Fry the ginger in canola oil until light golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Kimchi Fried Rice

• 2 c. cold cooked rice

Note: short grain rice makes a stickier fried rice while long grain rice makes a fluffier fried rice, both work fine – it’s a matter of preference.

• 1 T. sesame oil
• 1/2 c. onion, small dice
• 2 slices thick bacon, cooked and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green chile, sliced
• 1 c. cabbage kimchi, chopped
• 1/4 c. kimchi juice

In a non-stick pan, sauté onion in sesame oil. When onion becomes translucent, add bacon, garlic, and chile and cook for a couple minutes. Add kimchi, stirring constantly, about three more minutes. Add rice and kimchi juice, cook until the rice is hot.

Meanwhile, steam broccolini then toss with a small amount of sesame oil and season with sea salt.

Assembly

Mound kimchi fried rice in shallow serving bowls. Surround the rice with broccolini. Top with a sunny-side-up egg. Sprinkle gochugaru (Korean red chile powder) over the top. Garnish with fried ginger slices and toasted seaweed.

The Creative Cooking Crew is a group of innovative food bloggers hosted by Laz of Lazaro Cooks! and Joan of FOODalogue. Each month brings a new culinary challenge with a round-up of all the entries posted at the end of the month. Although there is no real judging and the challenges are all just for fun, we take pride in sharing our entries, pushing our culinary limits.

April’s Challenge is “What’s for Breakfast?” to which I am bringing my
Kimchi Bokkeumbap 김치볶음밥.

Laz is showcasing all the weekend breakfasts in a round-up on his blog here.