Sautéed kimchi mixed with rice, stuffed with cheese and toasted for a lightly crisp crust. Deliciously chewy edge with melted cheese and kimchi makes for a perfect quick meal!
Almost like kimchi fried rice but slightly different which makes it unique and delicious but equally easy. Kimchi fried rice sautes the kimchi and directly stir-fries in the rice. Kimchi Bap is a little different in that the kimchi is stir-fried and then mixed with a bowl of rice (not on the pan). Once the kimchi flavors are well incorporated into the rice, the rice mixture is spread on to a pan. This allows the bottom of the rice to become nicely toasted, similar to nurungji (scorched rice). A layer to cheese is topped on to half of the rice and then the rice is folded in half, almost like an omelette. This results in a slightly chewy and crispy toasted crust on the outside but a soft sticky rice on the inside for a scrumptious texture.
Delicious! And this is what P.O. (Korean rapper) in Kang’s Kitchen sets out to make! Kang’s Kitchen returns this season led by Kang Hodong and the rest of the “New Journey to the West” cast where they head to Gyeongju, Korea to open up a pop-up restaurant serving quick-restaurant snacks like tteokbokki, noodles, and bingsu. Similar to the last season with omurice, celebrity chef Baek Jong Won comes to help the cast think of recipes for the restaurant.
P.O.’s kimchi bap is a real hit and is actually the most sold dish of the day in Episode 4! Watching the episode made me really want to try it. Kimchi bokkeumbap (fried rice) with a twist on it that is just as easy to make. He always finishes making his dish earlier than the others on the show too! And so, of course I went out to make it on a (few) weeknights. No problem at all – super easy to make even after a busy work day. Enjoy the cheesiness balanced with the spicy kimchi and some pickled radish!
Learning from the master – Baek Jong Won
pouring soy sauce around the outer rim of the pan
major focus time
Other Recipes from Kang’s Kitchen – From Season 1: Omurice and Season 2: Jajang Tteokbokki
Kimchi Bap (Korean Kimchi Rice) - Kang's Kitchen
Ingredients
Sauteed Kimchi
- 2 Tbsp oil
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) green onion chopped
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) packed kimchi chopped ( about 115 g)
- 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru red pepper flakes
Assemble
- 1 serving cooked rice about 1 ½ cups or 225 g rice
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup if you like cheese!
- 1 sheet roasted gim shredded
Instructions
- Heat a medium frypan with oil. Add in the green onions and saute until lightly brown.
- Add in the kimchi and allow to cook. Don’t mix the kimchi yet.
- Pour the soy sauce into the outer rim of the pan. Add the sugar to the rim of the pan. Once the soy sauce slightly bubbles and the sugar melts, mix the kimchi around with the soy sauce and sugar. Make sure the soy sauce does not burn.*This allows the soy sauce and sugar to get cooked and have a more aromatic and “fire” like flavor. This is often a tip given by celebrity chef Baek Jong Won for sauces that use soy sauce.
- Continue to saute until the kimchi is soft and a deeper red - about 3-4 more minutes. Add in the gochugaru, mix well and saute for 1 more minute. Set aside.
- Place rice into a large bowl. Toss in the sauteed kimchi and mix well so there are no white rice pieces.
- On medium heat, heat a frypan with oil. Once the pan is heated, spread the kimchi rice evenly on to the pan. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, press the rice on to the bottom of the pan.*This will make the rice lightly toasted on the bottom.
- Continue to cook a few minutes until the rice is lightly toasted on the bottom.*You can check by lightly lifting the side of the rice up.
- Top half of the rice with shredded mozzarella cheese. Lower the heat to low and place a lid on top. Cook until the cheese is melted. Fold the rice in half.
- Plate the rice. Add shredded gim. Serve with optional corn and pickled radish.
I’ve always wanted to try those korean dishes that Kang’s Kitchen served. They looked very tasty as what their customers said as i read the sub.
Thanks for the comment, Karen! Hope you try some of these out. Let me know how they go!
What if we can’t find korean chilli powder in our nearby grocery store? Can we use gochujang instead?
Gochujang will add a sweetness and distinct flavor whereas Korean chili powder (gochugaru) just adds a bit extra spice. I think you can try adding the gochujang or omit it completely! Hope it works out!
Soooo cool! I woke up and later in the day I started thinking about this stuff. I found your site on Google and it totally answered my questions. Thanks so much!
Already tried it twice.. and never fail to amaze me how good this is. Extra steps but really made the differences. Love kang kitchen and po. Thank u for sharing
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment!