After a long day at work, I look for something quick and simple to eat; ideally food that manages to wrap a comfort blanket around me. A fried egg can tick that box, with its crisp, ochre edges and rich, runny yolk ready to spill on to whatever is beneath. Fried rice is a perfect bedfellow, with richness you can match to many a green vegetable: simple, homely and a little bit naughty.
Kimchi and leek fried brown rice with crispy egg
The tangy, spicy kimchi is a delicious contrast to the sweet, mellow notes of rice and leeks.
Prep 15 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 2
175g short grain brown rice or 300g cooked rice
1 heaped tbsp gochujang chilli paste
3-4 tsp soy sauce
170g kimchi, roughly chopped, plus 30ml of its juice
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large leeks, washed and thoroughly chopped
3-4 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 eggs
Black sesame seeds (optional)
If you’re cooking the rice, rinse it in cold water twice, swirling it around with your hand and draining away the cloudy water. Put the rice in a pan with 250ml water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the rice, cover and leave to steam dry for 10 minutes. Spread out on a tray or plate to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk the gochujang, soy sauce and kimchi juice, and set aside. Add a tablespoon of the oil to a large wok and, once hot, stir-fry the leeks for six to seven minutes, until tender.
Transfer to a bowl, add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and stir-fry the kimchi pieces for three to four minutes, until caramelised.
Add the leeks and the gochujang mix to the rice, and fry for three to four minutes, until the rice is hot and smelling fragrant. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
Heat a small frying pan over a high heat and add the final tablespoon of oil. Once hot, fry the eggs until the whites are set and the yolk is still runny.
Serve the rice with an egg astride, dusted with black sesame seeds, if you have any.
And for the rest of the week…
Leftover kimchi is delicious in a toasted cheese sandwich with extra-mature cheddar (as are sauteed leeks). I like to mix gochujang with mayonnaise, to give an added kick to the mayo when turning leftover risotto into arancini, but otherwise it lasts for months in the fridge.
