Spam Kimchi Fried Rice

I had tons of leftover Japanese rice from the other day and recently just bought a big ‘ol jar of kimchi from Costco that I wanted to use so I decided to freestyle it up and make some Spam Kimchi Fried Rice..because I always have Spam in the pantry. The fried rice turned out great and I think I’ll be sticking to this recipe!

In this fried rice, the salty spam and pungent kimchi combo complement each other beautifully. After cooking the kimchi down, the liquid evaporates, the flavors become more concentrated and this makes the rice taste ridiculously good. I was surprised that my daughter loved it as well and didn’t mind the bits of cabbage in the fried rice.

Ingredients:

4-5 cups of Japanese rice, day-old cold rice
1 12-ounce can Spam, cubed
9 ounces kimchi, finely chopped
4 eggs, two for rice and two for frying
3 green onions, finely chopped, separate white and green
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce, more to taste
1 tablespoon sesame oil, for garnish
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
sesame seeds, for garnish

Steps:

Prepare Rice – In a medium/large bowl, mix 2 eggs, rice, and salt until rice is evenly coated.  Set aside.

Fry Egg – In a small skillet, fry two eggs to desired preference and set aside.

Make Fried Rice – Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Pour in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the skillet. Add the garlic, white part of green onions and Spam. Stir fry the cubed Spam for about 5 minutes until the Spam begins to brown. Add the kimchi and stir fry for another 5 minutes.  Add the rice and stir fry until the rice is fluffy and cooked ~5 minutes.  Stir in green part of green onions and mix well until fully combined.  Drizzle in soy sauce and sesame oil and give it one last mix until fully combined. Season to taste. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with fried egg.

Tips:

• It is important to prep all the ingredients in advance before cooking fried rice.
• If you do not have day old/leftover rice, spread fresh hot rice evenly over a small sheet pan and put it in the freezer to cool it quicker.
• Pork belly and Bacon are great substitutes for Spam!
• Use a Cast iron skillet for crispier rice goodness.
• You can add an extra tablespoon of the kimchi juice if you want even more kimchi flavor.