A couple of weeks ago, the three of us (me, Debi, and Maine) were talking about a very tasty side dish that we really enjoyed together while at work (well, before the nationwide lockdown).
A clue
It's a Korean side dish. Kicks with a little spice and can make the mouth water with a little sourness. Every bite crunches, and its smell can make the hungry ones hungrier.
It's quite pasty, too, with this beautiful shade of red. Perhaps my fellow Asians already have an idea what this is.
Kimchi
It's, well, kimchi. I first tasted kimchi around seven years ago, while I was eating at a Korean restaurant with a couple of college friends. It was one of the side dishes. A friend said it was tasty and went well with the ramyun, but I ended up balking at the initial taste. In hindsight, I didn't like eating vegetables back then, and the knowledge that the kimchi was essentially vegetable just literally ended any sort of redemption for me.
Until a few years later, when I just craved for that specific kimchi taste. You can never go wrong in identifying the kimchi taste. Thinking about it now, I think my palate just really got used to Korean dishes, as my college roommates were big fans and we would drop by our favorite K-restaurants from time to time.
A couple of days ago, @debilog mentioned that she made her own kimchi at home. I was so jealous! I've been craving for kimchi for days already, and I literally asked Debi to send me some of her kimchi, our distance be damned. But of course, that wasn't possible.
Thankfully, I managed to buy some from a nearby hypermarket! They were nearly out of stock ("We don't understand why people suddenly flock for these kimchi packs," said the sales boy who attended to me when I asked where I could find some). They would never, unless they get a taste!
The Kimchi Rice
So I have this 500g of kimchi, but I couldn't just possibly use it as side dish always now, should I? So I found ways. The first time, I made a simplified soft tofu-kimchi stew; I wasn't able to document the experience, though. I wasn't expecting it to end up well!
So earlier at breakfast, I was walking in circles wondering what to have for breakfast. And I'm Asian -- I love rice for breakfast. In the end, I added kimchi to what would normally be my garlic fried rice.
I'm not a pro in the kitchen. At best, I can make edible experiments (the same way I eat my experiments at work LMAO). At this point, it is to be expected that my cooking process is nothing short of simple.
Preparing the rice and kimchi
I used cold rice, mixed with a beaten egg. The egg coating the rice bits makes for a tasty and non-sticky fried rice. (Kind of Chowking chowfan-texture haha). Of course, I also seasoned it with salt before hand. And done!
I plucked out around 2 leaves off the kimchi head and chopped them. (That sounds gangster-like, now that I'm re-reading this.)
Frying the rice
I sauteed chopped 3 medium-sized cloves of garlic until they're golden brown. I liked them kind of toasty -- it's bitter, but the flavor's wonderful.
At one point, I think I added more oil before I poured in the flavored rice. I like my fried rice a little greasy. After mixing the rice into the equation, I waited until the egg coating was cooked. You'd know it is when the rice bits do not stick together anymore. They're loose, and that means we're near the finish line -- heck, near chow down time.
Finally, I added in the chopped kimchi bits. Wonderful. I couldn't help but watch in amazement as the rice slowly turned red. I took it off the heat as soon as thin smoke rises. Just thin enough to smell. (If that makes sense!)
Taste testing
So I plated it along with a sunny side up. If I had just remembered to restock my grounded dried basil leaves, I would have sprinkled a pinch. That should add an aromatic flavor.
I had none, so I had to settle with what I had on hand.
Before I could eat, though, my father passed me by and saw my attention-seeking red fried rice. He asked what that was. Because technically he was the one who bought another kimchi for me (another pack, yes!) and he was really curious why I loved kimchi, I told him to taste the fried rice.
At that point, I had no idea how it tasted. It was an experiment on something I have zero trials before. And, well, I think it was a success?
"You should have cooked more so I can eat, too," my father said.
@debilog | @charlocked | @erangvee
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I'm hungry just by reading it! Add some sunny side-up and you're already good!