A quick and easy meal made with pantry ingredients: Kimchi Scrambled Eggs Rice Bowl! Made with fluffy eggs, tangy kimchi, and warm rice. A comfort meal ready in 10 minutes!

this recipe

What is a Kimchi Scrambled Eggs Rice Bowl?

Kimchi Scrambled Eggs Rice Bowl is an easy pantry meal starring soft scrambled eggs and spicy kimchi served over white rice. All you need is eggs, kimchi, and rice to make a filling and delicious meal. Garnish with sesame oil, sesame seeds, green onion, and an entire package of crushed seaweed snack to make it special!

The star ingredient is soft, creamy eggs. To keep the texture extra silky and delicate, add corn starch to the eggs. A small amount prevents the protein in the eggs from seizing up and turning rubbery. The secret ingredient to the most custardy, creamy scrambled eggs!

Another star ingredient is kimchi. You don’t need much but I do recommend cooking the kimchi in butter first. The flavors will deepen as the kimchi caramelizes.

Unlike Spam Kimchi Fried Rice, this bowl keeps the eggs soft and creamy. Pure comfort in a bowl with the deep flavors of caramelize kimchi and silky scrambled eggs. YUM!

If you’re looking for more ways to cook with kimchi, check out my What to Do With Kimchi guide. Or if you’re new to Korean cooking, start with my Introduction to Korean Cooking.

Ingredients:

• Kimchi. Spicy and tangy. A traditional Korean dish made of fermented Napa cabbage. FYI: Old kimchi tastes better when cooked so use the jar of old kimchi in the back of your fridge for this recipe!
• Eggs. Use the best eggs you can find. Organic free run eggs make this dish really shine.
• Butter. A little bit of dairy cuts through the acidity of the kimchi. Also adds richness to the eggs and keeps them tender and soft (not rubbery).
• Rice. Use short grain white rice (also called sushi rice) to boost the comfort factor.
• Corn Starch. Makes the eggs extra silky and soft. Corn starch is a common ingredient in Asian cooking used to velvet meat, thicken sauces and soups, and keep eggs silky smooth.
• Garnish: Sesame Oil, Sesame Seeds, Green onion, Roasted Seaweed Snack (Gim). Optional but recommended. Add right before serving. Adds so much aroma, texture, and flavor!

How to make Kimchi Egg Rice Bowl

1. Prep the kimchi. Transfer the kimchi to a small bowl and snip into small pieces with scissors.
2. Cook the kimchi. Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 Tbsp of butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan as it melts. Add the chopped kimchi and cook down until softened and the color changes from bright red to a golden orange, about 2-3 minutes. Stir from time to time with a silicone spatula to make sure all the chopped kimchi is coated with butter.
3. Prep the eggs. While the kimchi cooks, crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add the cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Using a wire whisk, mix until well combined and there are no remaining lumps of cornstarch.
4. Cook the eggs. Add remaining 1/2 Tbsp of butter in the pan. As it melts, use the silicone spatula to move around the kimchi and make sure the butter coats the bottom of the pan. Pour the egg mixture and leave undisturbed until the edges of the eggs start to firm up, about 10-20 seconds. Using a silicone spatula, gently pull the edges of the eggs into the center of the pan. Swirl and tilt the pan so the uncooked egg moves to the empty space in the pan. Keep scraping the edges of the egg, creating folded curds of eggs. Remove from heat when the eggs are mostly set but still slightly runny on top. The entire process will take about 2-3 minutes or less. It will go fast!
5. Assemble the bowl. Add the scrambled kimchi egg mixture to a bowl with rice. Garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil, sprinkle of sesame seeds, and chopped green onion. Crush an entire package of roasted seaweed snack (Gim) on top.
6. Serve. Eat immediately while the rice and eggs are piping hot and the gim is crispy. Enjoy!

PRO Tips

• Cook rice in advance. The kimchi scrambled eggs cook quickly. Make sure the rice is ready and cooked first. Or, use leftover rice and reheat until steaming hot.
• Cut kimchi with scissors. Instead of chopping the kimchi on a cutting board, transfer to a small bowl and snip with kitchen scissors. An easy Korean hack for chopping kimchi without all the mess!
• Don’t overcook the eggs. It’s very easy to overcook eggs. Even an extra 30 seconds of heat will turn the eggs rubbery and spongey. To get the perfect texture, remove from heat slightly BEFORE reaching desired doneness. The residual heat will continue cooking the eggs.
• Do not skimp on the butter. For the softest scrambled eggs, you need fat. My recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of butter. Half is used for cooking the kimchi and the other half is used for scrambling the eggs.

Helpful Kitchen Tools:

• Non-stick pan. You’ll need a good quality non-stick pan to scramble the eggs. The non-stick surface will help the eggs to glide and move around easily.
• Silicone spatula. A silicone spatula is soft, flexible and essential to move the eggs around.
• Whisk. The cornstarch can easily clump. Use a whisk to ensure smooth, clump-free eggs!

Variations

• Make it spicy. For more spicy heat, add a little bit of gochukaru (Korean red chili flakes) or gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) to the kimchi as it cooks.
• Add more protein. For a meatier version, add small cubes of pan-fried Spam, pan-fried tofu, or leftover shredded chicken, beef, or pork. I recommend adding on top of the rice but underneath the scrambled eggs.
• Add cheese. For a cheesy finish, add a slice of American cheddar cheese or a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese. The residual heat will gently melt the cheese.
• Swap out the white rice. Increase the nutrition and fiber by swapping out the white rice with quinoa, brown rice, or Korean purple rice.
• Serve over toast. Instead of rice, serve over toast. Thick milk bread or brioche bread is ideal, as the soft texture will complement the creamy eggs. Make sure to butter and toast the bread!

What to serve with:

• 5-minute Miso soup
• Seaweed Snack (Gim) on the side
• Spicy Cucumber Salad (Muchim)
• Pickled vegetables

FAQ

More recipes with kimchi

• What to Do with Kimchi: 20 Easy Recipes
• Black Bean Kimchi Quesadillas
• Cheesy Kimchi Fried Rice
• Kimchi Udon Noodle Soup
• Easy Kimchi Jjigae
• Korean Tuna Rice Bowl (Doepbap)