I will come right out and say it: I was not bowled over by kimchi fried rice. It looked good, smelled great, and tasted way too tangy for me. Some people add lime or kalamansi juice to fried rice (others even use vinegar); according to them it’s to cut down on the richness/oiliness of the dish. To which I have this to say: basil.
Others liked it, though. If they complained at all, it was about the spiciness. To make the dish, just do like you would your regular fried rice. Sauté the kimchi after the spices (I used onion, garlic, and chili — yes, more hotness!), before adding the cold rice. Use as much kimchi as you want, but I suggest you start with a quarter cup (chopped), then add more depending on your taste. Drizzle with sesame oil after cooking. Top with fried egg if you are so inclined.
As for a souring agent, you might want to hold off adding some until you’ve had a good mouthful of the dish. Fermentation enables kimchi to develop a wonderfully rounded tartness that makes it pair well with any dish. I could certainly eat it with fried rice, just not in it. I find it too dominant, upsetting the balance of the other flavors. But that’s just me. If you fancy it that way, by all means go for it. (And don’t forget kimchi-stuffed chicken; it’s really good.)
So, does this spell finis to my sneak-kimchi-into-something experiments? Hardly. Right now I’m thinking that surely that tartness will go well in sour soup. A red sinigang! Why not? I’ll get back to you.
This post has no comments.
Post a Comment