START TO FINISH: 40 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
This fried rice is a great way to use up kimchi that has been languishing in your refrigerator. Spreading the seasoned rice in an even layer in the skillet and letting it cook undisturbed for a few minutes allows tasty charred bits to form on the bottom, so don’t be impatient and stir too soon. The fried egg that tops each serving not only completes the dish with a hit of protein, but the yolk, when broken, flows onto the rice, adding a richness that heightens the flavors.
Don’t use long-grain rice. Japanese-style short-grain rice gives the dish a satisfying stickiness and chew. Don’t use a conventional skillet; a nonstick pan is needed to prevent the rice from sticking.
3¼ cups cooked Japanese-style short-grain rice, preferably chilled
6 ounces bacon, preferably thick-cut, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups well-drained napa cabbage kimchi, roughly chopped, plus 2 tablespoons kimchi juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced on diagonal
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
4 large eggs
Furikake seasoning or nori cut into slivers, to serve (optional)
If the rice is chilled, use your fingers to break apart any large clumps. Set a mesh strainer over a small heatproof bowl and place near the stovetop.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium, cook the bacon until well browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Scraping the pan, pour into the strainer; reserve the bacon fat.
Return 1 tablespoon of the fat to the skillet, add the onion and cook over medium, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle the kimchi juice, soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat over the rice and stir. Spread the rice in an even layer, increase heat to high and cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
Scrape along the bottom of the pan and flip the rice, then redistribute and cook until again browned on the bottom, another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the kimchi, bacon, peas, sesame oil and scallions. Cook, stirring, until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and cover with foil.
Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and heat over medium-high until barely smoking. Swirl to coat the pan, then crack an egg in each quadrant. Immediately reduce to medium-low and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Serve the fried rice on individual plates, topped with a fried egg and sprinkled with furikake, if using.