A spicy, scrumptious meal that comes together in one skillet in under 30 minutes! This vegan kimchi fried-rice features crispy tofu, bok choy, and flavor that will knock your socks off!
I finally acquired a tofu press
. Resistant as I was to using one of these things, it definitely has some advantages. No more law school text book avalanches in the kitchen, for one. Hasn’t happened one since I started using the press! It also presses a ton of water out of the tofu, which I’m thinking will be really good for marinating tofu. I haven’t tried that yet but I’ll keep you posted.
I’ve had great success using pressed tofu in recipes where it gets pan-fried. Tofu steaks and stir-fries are perfect dishes for incorporating crispy little pan-fried tofu cubes. Oh, and lets not forget fried rice!
When it comes to fried rice, kimchi fried rice is where it’s at.
Let’s talk about kimchi a bit, shall we? Spicy, Korean fermented cabbage and veggies. If you love both spicy and sour, fermented foods you’re going to be all about kimchi.
Kimchi is available at lots of regular supermarkets these days and at most Asian markets. Be careful though: lots of varieties aren’t vegan (they might have fish sauce, shrimp paste…that kind of thing), so check the ingredients list. Mother In Law’s makes a vegan variety that’s nice and spicy and carried by my local supermarket.
The first step to making this kimchi fried rice is pan frying the tofu. Cooking the tofu separately from everything else ensures maximum contact with the pan and minimum moisture from other ingredients, so it gets nice and crispy.
Then the tofu comes out of the skillet, and the rice, kimchi and seasonings get cooked up over high heat, super quickly.
Bok choy gets added near the end, so it has just enough time to wilt, and then the tofu goes back into the skillet and gets tossed with everything else.
Your fried rice will be crispy, delicious, and packed with flavor (thanks to kimchi being super flavorful).
Tips for Making Amazing Kimchi Fried Rice…
- Use leftover rice, straight from the refrigerator! This way the rice will be just a bit dried out, allowing it to crisp up really nicely when you cook it.
- This recipe works best with kimchi that’s been hanging around for at least a couple of weeks. Kimchi continues to ferment as it sits in the fridge, making it more sour over time. More sour = more flavor.
- Check the international section of your supermarket for gochujang. If you can’t find it there, try Amazon or an Asian market.
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Kimchi Fried Rice with Bok Choy and Tofu
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons gochujang, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, omit or decrease the amount if your kimchi is very sour
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups vegan kimchi, chopped
- 4 cups cooked rice, preferably at least a day old, chilled in the refrigerator
- 1 small bunch bok choy chopped
- 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Instructions
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Whisk the gochujang, rice vinegar and soy sauce or tamari together in small bowl, set aside.
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Coat a large flat-bottomed skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil and place it over medium heat. Add the tofu cubes and cook until browned on bottoms, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook about 5 minutes more. Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.
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Add the remaining oil to the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion in slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
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Add the kimchi and sauté 2 minutes more.
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Raise the heat to high and add the rice and gochujang mixture. Cook, flipping frequently, until rice begins to crisp spots, about 5-7 minutes. Add the bok choy to the skillet. Cook about 1 minute more, flipping to incorporate the bok choy, just until wilted. Add in tofu and scallions. Flip to incorporate and remove from heat.
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Add the in tofu and scallions to the skillet. Flip a few times to incorporate and remove from heat.
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Divide among plates or bowls and top with sesame seeds. Serve.
I love the new photos! I would join you with the tofu press method- but there is something so satisfying with pressing tofu using a load of uber-heavy cookbooks- I feel I’d miss it.
I’ve never used a tofu press – is it worth it? To be honest, I don’t usually bother pressing my tofu, I’m just lazy that way. But not too lazy to try out this kimchi fried rice! So many great flavours up in there together. Yum!
It’s one of those nice to have items if you make tofu a lot, which I definitely do. It might come in handy from a laziness standpoint, as it’s definitely easier than wrapping and loading up your tofu with heavy books. I also have a tendency to forget to press my tofu, so with the press if I remember at any point in the day I just stick it in the press and into the fridge, which I can’t do with a bunch of books. Another thing you might want to try if you don’t feel like pressing is to microwave your tofu before cooking. I do that when I forget to press, and it works really nicely.
i love it :3
Made this but used quinoa over rice (honestly I believe there are so many better grains over empty calorie rice that can and should be used). But this recipe is great. Love the kimchi in it. Give it great body!
Glad you enjoyed it! Quinoa rocks!
I made this with farro since I didn’t have day old rice and though the farro might have a good texture even fresh. I rinsed it in cold water after I drained it and left it straining in the fridge while I prepared the rest of the recipe. This worked really well and the farro absorbed some of the sauce at the end, which made it very flavorful.
Speaking of the sauce, I sort of did my own thing and added a lot of stuff apart from the gochujang and soy sauce such as maple syrup, lime juice, miso paste, and ginger.
This was a delicious dinner, but next time I think I’ll roast the tofu cubes in the oven while I cook the onions and kimchi in order to save some time by multitasking instead of having to wait for the tofu to cook before I can use the pan for the onions.
I love the idea of switching thing up with farro! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Teresa!
Made this tonight. Very spicy. Very yummy. Even my meat eater husband enjoyed it. Thank you!
That’s awesome!! I’m glad you both liked it! Thanks Elke!
Hi Dan, you”re welcome to try it with gochujang if you would like. Though, it will give a quite strong spicy flavor, so you might want to dilute it. Enjoy! freelance copywriter
Hi Dan, you”re welcome to try it with gochujang if you would like. Though, it will give a quite strong spicy flavor, so you might want to dilute it. Enjoy! freelance copywriter
Made this recipe for the first time tonight and LOVED it. Even my non-vegan niece loved it. I am a bit bummed that there was this delicious thing called kimchi forever and I only just discovered it, but I intend to make up for lost time. Also didn’t know what gochujang was but now I have a tub of it in my fridge. I LOVE how going vegan has helped me expand my culinary horizons in a way it never could have been when I ate animal products. I wasn’t adventurous, and was addicted to sweets…omg, all the years I missed out on yummy veggie dishes and world cuisines. I could cry, but instead I’ll just say I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RECIPE! Love your blog, CV!
Haha! That’s exactly how I felt when I first discovered kimchi! I’m so glad you enjoyed this. Thanks so much Kelly!