Kimchi fried rice

When I was travelling in Asia, I got used to the idea of rice or noodles for breakfast. A fried egg on top was the closest I usually got to a "Western-style" breakfast. And once I got used to the idea, I realised that I enjoyed having a much wider variety of flavours to choose from in the morning. This recipe, adapted from one on the redoubtable Korean Bapsang, is a tasty and quick way to use up leftovers from the night before's Korean meal.

Give it a try - you'll never look at toast and eggs the same way again.

Recipe

2 cups leftover cooked rice (I used brown rice, but short grain white rice is more traditional)
2 tsp oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp gochujang (Korean chili pepper paste)

1/2 cup kimchi, finely diced, with juice from the package (available in vacuum packs from Asian grocery stores; you could make your own, but it's time-consuming)

1/2 spring onion or scallion, sliced thinly (optional)
2 eggs, fried

Heat half a tsp oil in a large skillet or wok, and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened (3-4 minutes) - add a small splash of water if it looks like the onion will catch before it's cooked.

Add the rest of the oil, the soy sauce, and gochujang, then add the rice and kimchi. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is hot and the flavourings are evenly distributed throughout the dish.

Divide between 2 plates and top each with a sprinkle of spring onion and a fried egg.

Serves: 2
Preparation and cooking time: 8-10 minutes

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