Kimchi and Apple Fried Rice

Apples and Kimchi Make Great Partners.

Making my own kimchi has become such a joy that I am now never without it. That big container of beautiful fermenting Napa cabbage sitting in my spare fridge tempts me in all sorts of directions. Yes, I do keep it in my spare refrigerator because while it does emit an odor that I love, I don’t want it seeping into all my other refrigerated items. Of course, it’s wonderful to eat it all on its own, as an accompaniment for many meals, but it can also take on a larger role.

Kimchi fried rice is a very traditional Korean dish and from what I understand there are many many different variations, depending on who is making it. I think it’s one of those deals where each family has their own special touch.

I didn’t follow a recipe. I simply made what I thought would be delicious. I wasn’t going for any kind of Korean authenticity. This is only my take on kimchi fried rice. I cooked up my rice the day before and let it chill in the fridge. 

I got to thinking that adding chopped apple to the fried rice would be good. After all, there is already grated apple in my kimchi, so it seemed like a natural combination.  The sweet apple would play off well against the funky brininess of the kimchi. I drained my kimchi, but also used the juice. I chopped up some ham, a big white onion, and a bunch of Chinese chives. You could substitute regular chives or scallions. 

There is nothing complicated about making this. Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet, cook the onions until softened, add the apple and cook for a few minutes, stir in the kimchi and let it cook for a few minutes in order for it to caramelize a little, add the ham and chives, give it a stir and dump in the rice, pouring the kimchi juice and some sesame oil over everything. Stir it all together until it’s well heated and serve it up. 

I crumbled a couple packets of gim (roasted seaweed) * on top and gave it a generous sprinkling of gochugaru flakes (Korean chili flakes) .* Pretty simple. Nothing loony or complicated going on here. And how did this taste?

Probably just as you would imagine. We all know what rice tastes like. Add plenty of powerfully flavored kimchi, the sweetness from cooked onions and apples, the meatiness of ham, the smokiness of sesame oil, and then the green brightness of chives. We were happily gobbling it up straight out of the pan, but then I topped our individual bowls with crumbled roasted seaweed * and gochugaru flakes * and it got even better. 

Eating a delicious bowl of comforting rice is one of my life’s great joys. I just added this interesting version to my repertoire. I count that as a win. If you’re a kimchi fan, I highly recommend you give this one a shot. It’s kind of glorious.