Fast and tasty, Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam is the easy 15-minute meal or snack that makes leftover rice and old kimchi taste like a luxurious treat!

When I’m ravenously hungry and exhausted with life, there is nothing tastier or quicker than Easy Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam. Nothing!

What is Spam Kimchi Fried Rice?

Spam Kimchi Fried Rice is an easy, 15-minute Korean household staple. A quick pantry meal or late night snack — it’s simple to make and only requires a few basic ingredients.

Also called Kimchi Bokkeumbap, I turn to this recipe when the cupboards are bare. All you need is old kimchi and old rice. Plus a can of Spam!

Spam pairs especially well with Kimchi because the acidic, fermented flavor of spicy kimchi cuts through the fatty richness of Spam. Together, Kimchi + Spam complement each other beautifully!

In Kimchi Fried Rice, Spam provides that luxuriously fatty and porky richness. You don’t need much — just a little bit adds so much delicious salty flavor!

Ingredients:

• Spam. Adds salty, porky richness.
• Old kimchi. Kimchi is a fermented food item and tastes vastly different depending on age. For fried rice, old, well-matured kimchi is preferred. Fresh kimchi does not taste good when cooked.
• Old rice. For the best texture, cold refrigerated leftover rice is preferred. I recommend short grain rice (Sushi rice or Sweet Rice) or medium grain rice (Jasmine, Calrose, Japonica). I don’t recommend long grain rice (Basmati or Carolina rice) as it will break apart when cooked.
• Gochujang and/or Fish Sauce. The flavor boosters.
• Sesame Oil. A drizzle of this nutty aromatic at the end is perfection!
• Green onions. Adds freshness and color.

Instructions:

1. Sizzle some diced up Spam.
2. Add chopped kimchi, kimchi juice, and gochujang. Cook until soft and caramelized.
3. Add old rice. Break up the cold rice with a wooden spoon (or potato masher) so no clumps remain.
4. Taste and season: Add sugar and fish sauce. Mix well. Taste and add a sprinkle of salt, if needed.
5. Serve Spam Kimchi Fried Rice with a drizzle of sesame oil, green onion, and fried egg on top. Enjoy!

Tips for the BEST Spam Kimchi Fried Rice:

• Cube Spam. Choose what you like best: A large 1-inch dice will give you meaty big chunks. A small 1/4-inch dice will give you more evenly distributed bits of porky flavor.
• Fry Spam. Crisp up the Spam first. The rendered fat will flavor the rice.
• Caramelize kimchi. Enhances all that kimchi flavor to a concentrated intensity.
• Old kimchi preferred! For this recipe, fresh kimchi will not taste as good.
• Old rice preferred! For the best texture. Small grain or Medium grain.
• Flavor booster: Gochujang. Add a small spoonful for extra flavor.
• Flavor booster: Fish Sauce. Add a sprinkle or two at the end of the cooking process for best flavor.
• Toppings: Fried Egg, drizzle of sesame oil, green onions. You can also add sesame seeds, furikake, or sriracha.

Essential tool: Non-Stick Skillet

For Kimchi Fried Rice, a non-stick pan works best.

The non-stick surface prevents everything from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Kimchi Fried Rice is tricky to cook because the kimchi juice and gochujang can become quite sticky and syrupy. The extra liquid in kimchi juice and high sugar content of gochujang require a non-stick surface!

Also, a large cooking surface makes it easier to evenly coat all the rice grains with the kimchi “sauce.” Either toss a few times in the pan or use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix well.

Note: Teflon or ceramic non-stick skillets both work. A wok or cast iron skillet also work well but make sure they are well seasoned!

You can tell when kimchi is old because it’s dark, juicy, very soft, and fizzes in your mouth. All that fermented, acidic goodness contains tons of flavor when cooked.

More Kimchi dishes to love:

• Tuna Kimchi Fried Rice
• Kimchi Jjigae [Kimchi Stew]
• Kimchi Jjim [Braised Kimchi]
• Kimchi Juice + Buttermilk Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Kimchi Mayo
• Kimchi Queso Dip

Easy Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam

The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

Fast and tasty, Spam Kimchi Fried Rice is the easy 15-minute meal or snack that makes leftover rice and old kimchi taste like a luxurious treat!

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 17 mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine Korean

Servings 2

Calories

Equipment

• Large non-stick skillet

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 package Spam, cubed (use the whole can for a meatier dish)
• 1 1/2 cups kimchi + kimchi juice (old, mature kimchi preferred)
• 1-2 tsp gochujang
• 3 cups cooked rice (cold, at least 1 day old; short or medium grain preferred)
• 1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1-2 tsp fish sauce (to taste)

Garnish:

• 1 fried egg
• 1 tsp sesame seed oil
• 1 green onion (chopped)

Instructions

 

• Heat non-stick pan on medium heat.  Add oil to coat the bottom of the pan, about 1 Tbsp. Add cubed Spam and toss until crispy looking on the edges, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add kimchi and the kimchi juice.  Mix thoroughly with pork and cook down until soft and caramelized, about 5 minutes. The color should change to an orange-y red color and the liquid should thicken. If the liquid evaporates too quickly, add more kimchi juice or lower the heat of the pan.
  
• Add cold rice and sesame seeds.  Break up with a wooden spoon (or potato masher) until no clumps remain.  Mix thoroughly with kimchi and Spam until well combined, about 5 minutes..  Add sugar and fish sauce. Taste and add a sprinkle of salt, if needed.
  
• Remove from heat.  Add sesame seed oil, and green onion.  Top with a fried egg and sriracha, if desired.  Enjoy!
  

Notes

This is a great way to use old, sour kimchi and leftover rice. If you do not have leftover rice that has been refrigerated, make rice and then spread it on a baking sheet to cool in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.

Keyword Kimchi Fried Rice