Fried Rice with Kimchi, Bacon & Cabbage

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I am planning on serving shepherd’s pie tonight, but, for those of you serving corned beef and cabbage, this quick dish will put any leftover cabbage to good use. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. We ate it drizzled with sriracha and additional soy sauce. I also served the leftovers with scrambled eggs instead of fried.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 5 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or sunflower, plus more as needed (I used canola oil)
• 3 slices thick-cut bacon, in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small bunch scallions, whites and greens separated, sliced
• 4 cups shredded cabbage (from about 1/2 small head)
• coarse salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups cooked rice, white or brown, preferably day-old
• 2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce, plus more as needed for serving
• ½ cup kimchi, drained and chopped, plus more for serving
• ½ cup green peas (thawed, if frozen)
• fried eggs or scrambled eggs, for serving, optional
• toasted sesame oil, for drizzling, optional
• sriracha or other hot sauce, for serving, optional

1. One day ahead, cook 2 cups of rice in 4 cups of water or stock. Once cool, store in the refrigerator overnight. (I used brown Basmati rice.)
2. In a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons oil until almost smoking. (I used a large 14-inch stainless steel skillet but a nonstick would have been preferable.)
3. Stir in bacon, and cook, stirring constantly, until bacon is golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, leaving as much oil in the skillet as you can.
4. Add scallion whites to the pan. Cook until soft, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes. If the pan looks dry, drizzle in a little more oil, then stir in cabbage and a pinch of salt. Cook, continuing to stir frequently, until cabbage is soft, 2 to 4 minutes.
5. Stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the bacon.
6. Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to skillet and raise heat to high.
7. Add rice, and a large pinch of salt, then toss thoroughly to coat with oil. Spread out rice in an even layer along the bottom (and sides if in a wok), and drizzle fish sauce and soy sauce over. Let rice sit until sizzling stops and it starts to crackle and crisp, 1 to 4 minutes. Toss, taste, and add more fish sauce or soy sauce if necessary.
8. Fold in bacon mixture, kimchi and peas, then transfer to plates.
9. Top with scallion greens, more kimchi to taste, and fried eggs, if using. (I served it with one fried egg per person.)
10. Drizzle everything with toasted sesame oil and soy sauce, as desired, and serve immediately with hot sauce on the side.