Fried rice is good but Bulgogi Beef Kimchi Fried Rice is TOO good! The fried rice has a beautiful red color with a bit of a kick from the spicy kimchi and gochujang. And just when you thought it couldn’t get better, the beef bulgogi is so tender and packed with so much flavor. You’ll only want fried rice this way after the first bite!
The Bulgogi
To elevate this fried rice, we are going to make beef bulgogi. This traditional Korean dish consists of thinly sliced beef marinated in a subtly sweet and savory sauce and then grilled on a BBQ or stir-fried in a pan. It typically has grated pear added to it which acts as a tenderizer for the meat. If you’ve ever been to a Korean BBQ restaurant, you’re probably really familiar with this and love it as much as I do.
This recipe came straight from my ECOOKBOOK which is full of 50 quick and easy dinner recipes. It took a while to perfect this beef bulgogi recipe so you can make it at home and even better!
HERE ARE THE INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
- flank steak
- soy sauce
- brown sugar
- pear puree
- sesame oil
- garlic
- ginger
- chili powder
- red pepper flakes
- black pepper
- olive oil
- rice vinegar
Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl to marinate evenly! Now you can either cook it right away if you’re short on time or cover it tightly and let it marinate for 30 minutes or the longer the better. You can even marinate it overnight for maximum flavor.
Get a pan nice and hot and then add the meat, making sure it is not crowded. You want to cook it on high heat so the meat can brown well and caramelize. As the meat cooks, the sauce will start to reduce and darken. Once the meat is cooked through and the sauce thickens to coat the meat, take it out of the pan. Now in the same pan, we’ll make the rice.
Kimchi Fried Rice
This is basically the Korean version of fried rice and it’s made using kimchi and gochujang. If you’re not familiar with kimchi, it’s basically fermented cabbage. It’s tangy, spicy, and absolutely delicious.
We’ll start out by cooking garlic and gochujang in butter. Once that is sautéed, add day-old cooked jasmine rice, frozen carrots and peas, chopped kimchi, kimchi juice, red pepper flakes, chili powder, soy sauce, black pepper, salt, and sesame oil. Mix together and fry the rice for 2 to 3 minutes.
Just serve with sesame seeds on top, a fried egg if you’d like, and some chopped seaweed!
Where to Buy Kimchi
Kimchi is super popular now so you can find it at all supermarkets. I’ve seen it at Trader Joe’s, Costco, Safeway, and Whole Foods. However, if the kimchi is not authentic, the taste can be a bit too tangy or just not the tastiest.
My favorite brand of Kimchi is Bibigo and I buy it from H-Mart which is a large Korean grocery store. It also has a Halal label on it which is perfect. I like to snack on it because it tastes just that good and the fermentation makes it so good for your gut health!
Watch How to Make It
More Recipes Like This For a Rice Lover!
- Peri Peri Chicken & Rice
- Sweet and Spicy Salmon Rice Bowls
- Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
- Halal Cart Chicken and Rice
- Rainbow Rice with Steak and Peppers
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Bulgogi Beef Kimchi Fried Rice
Ingredients
FRIED RICE
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice
- 2 tablespoons kimchi juice
- 1 cup chopped kimchi
- 1 cup carrot and pea mix
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
BULGOGI BEEF
- 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
- 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pear puree
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
FOR ASSEMBLY
- sliced green onions
- fried egg
- chopped nori/seaweed sheets
Instructions
MAKE THE BULGOGI BEEF
- To a bowl, add the steak, soy sauce, brown sugar, pear puree, sesame oil, minced garlic, minced ginger, chili powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper, olive oil, and rice vinegar.
- Heat a pan over high heat. Once very hot add the meat, making sure it is not crowded. As the meat cooks, the sauce will start to reduce and darken.
- Once the meat is cooked through and the sauce thickens to coat the meat, take it out of the pan. Set aside.
MAKE THE FRIED RICE
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add the butter, garlic, and gochujang. Saute for 1 minute.
- Then add the rice and mix it together. Saute for another 2 minutes to crisp up and fry the rice.
- Then add the kimchi juice, kimchi, carrots and peas, red pepper flakes, chili powder, soy sauce, black pepper, salt, and sesame oil. Mix together to combine evenly and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.
- Add the beef bulgogi back in and stir together. Then take off the heat.
- Serve with a fried egg on top along with green onions, sesame seeds, and chopped nori! the green onions and frozen carrots and peas and mix again.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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