Spam fried rice with Korean kimchi and gochujang to turn up the heat and garden peas to provide sweet notes to contrast the salt and chilli.
This recipe is a proper quick munch, preparation may take around 10-15 minutes, but cooking is done and dusted in 7-8 minutes.
Kimchi Fried Rice with Tinned Pork
When I think of fried rice, my mind always leaps to memories of Chinese takeaways, or my special fried rice, Chinese sausage fried rice and egg fried rice fakeaways.
But this recipe is a bit of an Anglo-Korean affair. It combines kimchi-fried rice with Spam. Many people in culinary circles will wince at the thought of eating Spam, but I love it.
It's appeared here a couple of times before in the form of Spam fritters and a wonderful Spam and egg sandwich.
Aside from preparing the rice the day before, this recipe is a positive rocket ship in terms of cooking.
Allow 10-15 minutes for preparation, and cooking takes less than 10 minutes.
It's tasty too! The kimchi is joined by a little of the kimchi juice and smoky and spicy gochujang paste.
Sweet garden peas provide balance to that acidity; they are also superb with the salty Spam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use freshly cooked rice?
Freshly cooked rice is not the greatest in any fried rice recipe because it is too moist. That moisture will lead to soggy and sticky rice rather than beautifully "fluffy" fried rice!
What rice do you use?
I use long-grain white rice in all of my fried rice recipes. Jasmine rice is my usual choice, but it can work really well with basmati rice too.
When you cook the rice, be sure to chill it as soon as it is cool enough to go into the fridge. This is important to avoid bacteria build up and the dreaded dicky belly.
What kimchi do you use?
I use a brand called Vadasz, it is delicious and available in the chiller section of many major British supermarkets.
Can I make this in advance?
In theory, yes, but you do need to be very careful with rice; it should be chilled as soon as it is safe to do so.
Then it needs to be heated through until it is piping hot before it is served.
However, this is a super quick dish! I would not bother with making it in advance and reheating it later because it saves very little time.
Serving Suggestions
I'd consider this spicy Korean-influenced kimchi and Spam fried rice to be a pretty solid TV dinner. However, I do like to serve it with a fried egg and a little sriracha sauce to complete the meal.
If I wanted to bulk this out a little more, I would be much more likely to serve it with a starter than additional sides.
A soup would be a nice start, and this Korean bean paste soup Doenjang jjigae would be delicious as a starter.
If soup isn't your thing, these Korean chicken bao buns would be fantastic.
Whilst sesame prawn toast and prawn crackers are a little more "Chinese" than Korean, both would make a fab starter to nibble on before this dish.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- Wok.
- Stirring spoon and slotted spoon.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Small mixing bowl.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring cups, and spoons.
Spicy Kimchi Spam Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g Cooked and Cooled White Rice 2 Cups (1 Day old)
- 150 g Kimchi ¾ Cup
- 3 tablespoon Kimchi Juice
- 1 tablespoon Gochujang Paste
- ½ tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
- 150 g Frozen Peas 1 Cup
- 10-12 Spring Onions 125g
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 200 g Spam 7oz Tin
- 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
Instructions
- Place the kimchi juice in a bowl and mix it with the gochujang paste and toasted sesame oil.
- Defrost the peas by running them under cold water for 3-4 minutes.
- Slice the spring onions, start at the white end, finely slicing the white bits, increasing the size as you chop into the green end, finishing at around 1cm in length (just under ½").
- Chop the garlic as finely as you can.
- Remove the Spam from the tin and cut it into a 1cm (just under ½") dice.
- Heat a wok over a high heat and when it is shimmering add the oil followed by the spam and stir fry for 2-3 minutes (or until it starts to become golden). Remove the spam from the wok with a slotted spoon leaving the oil in the pan.
- Return the wok to the heat and once it is hot, add the kimchi and garlic, then stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the rice and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the kimchi juice and gochujang mix and toss in the peas, most of the spring onions (retaining a few for garnish), and fried spam, cook for a final minute and serve.
