Published: · Modified: by Christie Lai
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Savoury, spicy fried rice with that tangy kimchi flavour and juicy pork belly. This quick and easy pork belly kimchi fried rice is ready in 30 minutes with simple ingredients! This is restaurant-quality and is great if you have leftover rice to use up.
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- Expert Tips
- Instructions
- Storage
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- FAQ
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Kimchi Fried Rice is made of cooked rice stir-fried with sour kimchi and savory pork belly with aromatics and smoky, spicy gochujang paste.
Many Korean restaurants will serve this dish as a main with other banchans or Korean side dishes for a balanced meal.
I love eating a bowl of this comfort food while watching a Korean drama. It's the best dish to make when I have leftover cooked rice in the fridge that I need to use up!
I also share other variations of this Korean dish like my vegan mushroom kimchi fried rice, kimchi sausage fried rice or the classic kimchi fried rice!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Day-Old Rice: Ideally short-grain rice (aka sushi rice or calrose rice). As a last resort you can use white long-grain rice, like jasmine rice.
- Pork Belly Strips: make sure it's thinly cut by the butcher. Or substitute with diced ham, spam, bacon, sausage, chicken, pork or beef.
- Well-fermented Kimchi: well-fermented kimchi is more reddish and tender.
- Onion
- Green onion
- Kimchi juice: from the kimchi jar or package
- Gochujang: this is a Korean red pepper paste that comes in a red tub at the Korean grocery store and it comes in mild to hot in terms of spice levels.
- Garlic
- Regular soy sauce:or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Sesame oil: for that nutty flavor! Omit if you're allergic.
- Sesame seeds: optional garnish
- Fried egg(s): optional garnish
- Korean roasted seaweed flakes: optional garnish
How do I dry out hot rice?
If you're making fresh rice for this recipe, you can dry it out by evenly spreading it into thin layer on a large baking sheet and freezing it for 45 minutes so the cold air can remove excess moisture. Then break the rice up.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Use leftover rice for a fluffy fried rice. I share how to dry it out in the Ingredients section.
- Prepare your ingredients in advance as the cooking process is quick!
- Be patient in browning the pork belly so the fat and flavors render off into the pan creating for a more delicious fried rice!
- Use medium-high heat when cooking any fried rice. If the heat is too low, it can cause for mushy fried rice.
- Use well-fermented kimchi that is softened and more reddish and not white for that tangy flavour (see below for an image)
Instructions
- Break up the cold rice with a rice paddle or with your hands. Set aside.
- Slice pork belly into ¾-inch wide pieces. Set aside.
- In a large pan on medium-high heat without oil, add chopped pork belly. Spread it apart and cook your pork belly so that the edges are browned and the fat renders off, about 5-8 minutes.
- Next toss in onion, garlic, and kimchi. Stir-fry until the juices release from the kimchi into the pan, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add cooked rice, regular soy sauce, kimchi juice, gochujang, and sesame oil. Toss everything together until rice granules are red in color. Do not over cook the rice or it'll become mushy.
- Lastly garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Remove off heat and serve with Korean seaweed flakes and a fried egg on top. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing this type of fried rice as we're using short-grain rice which turns hard even after reheating.
Pairing Suggestions
Pork belly kimchi fried rice serves well with other Korean side dishes like Korean cucumber salad, beansprout salad, zucchini fritters, gamja jorim, Korean spinach, or japchae.
FAQ
What else can you add to pork bellykimchi fried rice?
Other additions you can add to kimchi fried rice can include: frozen mixed vegetables, broccoli, carrots, and shredded cheese like mozzarella or swiss cheese.
Can I make this in advance?
Kimchi fried rice can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Other recipes you may like
- Dosirak Korean Lunch Box
- Cheese Kimchi Kimbap
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Pork Belly Kimchi Fried Rice
Christie Lai
Pork Belly Kimchi Fried Rice. Savoury, spicy fried rice with that scrumptious kimchi flavour with pork belly. Ready in 30 minutes with simple ingredients!
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Korean
Servings 2
Calories per serving 1068 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups cooked short grain rice day-old rice (If you're using fresh rice, see Notes below)
- 1 cup pork belly
- ¾ cup kimchi chopped
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 tablespoon kimchi juice from the kimchi jar or package
- 2 teaspoon gochujang
- ½ tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional garnish
Optional toppings:
- 1 fried egg optional
- ¼ cup Korean seaweed flakes optional garnish
Instructions
Break up the cold rice with a rice paddle or wooden spatula. Set aside.
Slice pork belly into ½-inch wide pieces. Set aside.
In a large pan or wok on medium-high heat without oil, add chopped pork belly. Spread it apart and cook your pork belly so that the edges are browned and the fat renders off, about 5-8 minutes.
Next toss in onion, garlic, and kimchi. Stir-fry until the juices release from the kimchi into the pan, about 2-3 minutes.
Add cooked rice, regular soy sauce, kimchi juice, gochujang, and sesame oil. Toss everything together until rice granules are red in color. Do not over cook the rice or it'll become mushy.
Lastly garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Remove off heat and serve with Korean seaweed flakes and a fried egg on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Making fresh rice for this recipe?
Please use 240 grams of uncooked rice and cook in a rice cooker or on the stove top. After the rice is cooked: evenly spread the rice on a large baking sheet with a rice paddle and freeze it uncovered for 60 minutes so the cold air can dry it out. Then break up the cold rice with your hands and you can stir fry it. This prevents the fried rice from becoming mushy when you fry it.
Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
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Nutrition
Calories: 1068kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 76g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 35g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 446mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 149IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 5mg
More Quick & Easy Main Dish Recipes
- Honey Garlic Chicken
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Tony Frangoudis
Made this for my wife and she loved it . This one is a keeper .Reply
christieathome
This is fantastic to hear, happy you and your wife both enjoyed it! Thanks for making my recipe, Tony!
Reply
Rosemary
My brother and I were just looking for a easy flavorful fried rice recipe! Making this with him next week 🙂Reply
