Kimchi Fried Rice

A fried rice made with leftover rice and kimchi.  A popular recipe in Hawaii and a great comfort food.

Hawaii is known for diversity.  So many cultures and cuisines come together and make one big 'ohana (family).  This makes for spectacular food.  Kimchi fried rice is just one of those foods that make Hawaii great.

HI's diversity makes great food #KimchiFriedRice  [Tweet this]

Kimchi is a Korean side dish made from fermented cabbage and hot chili paste (among other ingredients).  Adding it to fried rice makes a delicious, simple, and inexpensive meal.  This may not have originated in Hawaii, but it's a common menu item at many restaurants.  Of course, I had to try my hand at making it.  It turned out great.  It was spicy, tangy, bacony, nutty, and I added spinach for  little more nutrition.  This will be a common menu item in my home.  Some day I even want to try making my own kimchi.

#Kimchi FriedRice is an #inexpensivemeal  [Tweet this]

Kimchi fried rice can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or meal.  I think it makes a great lunch or snack while drinking beer and watching football (or any event--and you don't have to drink beer to enjoy it).

Kimchi #FriedRice is a great #Gamedaysnack  [Tweet this]

Kimchi Fried Rice

Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

2-3 cups leftover rice
dash sesame oil
dash rice vinegar
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 lb bacon chopped
1-2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped
2-3 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed
12oz jar of hot kimchi, drained & rough chop
1 cups chopped green onions, divided

KimchiFriedRice is a great use for #leftoverrice  [Tweet this]

I think fried rice always works best with leftover rice that has been refrigerated for a day or two.

Remove leftover rice from the fridge.  Add it to a large bowl with sesame oil, vinegar, and soy sauce.  Stir well breaking up any clumps and mixing well.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon, over medium heat, until it becomes crisp.  Pour off most of the grease (leaving some adds to the overall flavor of the dish) and add the oil.  Bring up the heat to about medium-high.

Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the onions and stir-fry until just softened.

Then add the spinach and kimchi.  Stir fry until just heated and add the rice mixture.  Continue stir-frying until the rice is heated through and fried to your liking. (I don't know what I did this time...maybe used plenty of oil, --closer to 2 Tbsp than 1, maybe a little more-- but the rice did not stick to my pan)

Turn off the heat and stir in about half of the chopped green onions.

Serve warm garnished with more green onions.  Sriracha can be added if you would like a little more heat.

Enjoy.

For more leftover rice recipes check out:

Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice

Coconut Rice Pudding

Pork Fried Rice

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Coconut Rice Pudding

Leftover rice and coconut milk combine to make a creamy, delicious, and vegan breakfast or dessert.

Rice is a great staple food.  It's inexpensive, easy to cook, versatile, and delicious.  Since moving to Hawaii, I eat much more rice than I used to.  A scoop or two of rice is often on the side of or the main component of many local meals.  While I don't have rice with every meal, I use it often.  I use rice in stir-fries, beans and rice, fried rice, soups, stews, and casseroles.  It never hurts to make extra rice because it will be eaten.

It never hurts to make extra rice. It will be eaten. [Tweet this]

A sweet way to use leftover rice is rice pudding.  It's such a simple recipe I always wonder why I don't make it more often.  Rice pudding makes a great breakfast or dessert and it's delicious.  Don't worry about making too much rice next time you cook.

There is no such thing as too much rice. Make Coconut Rice Pudding with leftovers. [Tweet this]

Coconut Rice Pudding

Servings:  4
Cook time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice (leftover rice is great)
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
2 Tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
1 dash of vanilla extract
Banana slices or other fruit

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the rice (cold right from the fridge is fine), coconut milk, and syrup if using.

Stir and mix well breaking up any clumps of rice.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened (about 15-20 minutes).

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Serve hot or cold topped with bananas or other fruit.  It would be great with some toasted shredded coconut too.

Makes about 4 servings.

Enjoy.

For more ways to use leftover rice check out:

Leftover Rice Pudding       -

Pork Fried Rice           -

Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice

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Unstuffed Pepper Casserole

Stuffed peppers, unstuffed, and made into a casserole.  

This recipe came about because I had so many peppers.  I needed a bell pepper for some recipe I was making one day.  My husband was going out so I asked him to pick up a pepper for me.  He came home with a 2 pound bag of mini sweet peppers (they were on sale).  They worked fine in whatever recipe I was making at the time but I had plenty leftover.  I put peppers in just about everything for a few days when I finally came up with this idea.

Stuffed peppers are great but you can't really stuff the mini peppers so why not just throw everything together and make it a casserole?  So my Unstuffed Pepper Casserole was born.  Not only did this taste great but it was super simple and used plenty of leftovers.  I used left over rice, chicken, a tomato, and a zucchini.  As well as items I keep in my freezer or pantry like beans, cheese, an onion, and a can of tomatoes.  So even though the ingredient list is long, it's all stuff I had laying around anyway.

Unstuffed Pepper Casserole

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, diced
About 20 mini sweet peppers, sliced (~3 cups)
1 medium tomato diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped (leftover rotisserie works well)
4 cups coked rice
2 cups cooked black beans
1 14.5 ounce can of stewed tomatoes, pureed (~2 cups)
2 Tbsp paprika
oregano
cumin
habanero flakes (optional)
Chicken broth, as needed
2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

In a large skillet, over medium heat with a little oil, cook the zucchini, onion, peppers, and tomato with salt and pepper until softened.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

In a large bowl mix the chicken, rice, and beans with the cooked vegetables.  Then pour in the pureed tomatoes, paprika, oregano, cumin, habanero flakes or other chili flakes (if using), and salt & pepper to taste.

Mix well and add some chicken broth if it looks too dry.  Spread mixture in a large casserole pan and top with cheese.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Let cool for abut 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 6 Servings.

Enjoy.

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Beans and Rice Taco Salad

A vegetarian meal of tortilla chips and lettuce, topped with spicy rice and beans, and finished with avocado sour cream and cilantro.

Oh no, not another taco salad recipe.  Yes another taco salad recipe.  As I'm sure you all know by now I love taco salad.  Not only is it my favorite meal but it's also a great way to reuse leftovers.

I had leftover cilantro, avocado lime dressing, and a jalapeno from my Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos.  I also had some leftover rice...from something...and plenty of tortilla chips from the huge Costco bag that we frequently buy.  So in my mind the only way to use all of these leftovers is taco salad.  I could probably make taco salad with just abut anything. I could have also just made rice and beans but I always eat my rice and beans with tortilla chips on the side (to satisfy my crunchy fetish) so I just put it all together for one simple and delicious, meatless meal.  This can easily be made vegan by omitting the sour cream.

Bean and Rice Taco Salad

Ingredients:

1 jalapeno, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups beans (I used red beans but black beans or pinto would be great too)
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup salsa, hot
2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp garlic powder
lettuce
tortilla chips
cilantro
*Avocado Sour Cream

*Avocado Sour Cream:  Blend together about 1/4-1/2 cup Avocado lime dressing (optional), 1 small avocado, and 8 oz sour cream.  Add milk 1 Tbsp at a time to thin it to what ever consistency you prefer.  

In a large skillet or stock pot (over medium heat) cook jalapenos, in a bit of oil, until soft.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Then add the rice, beans, salsa, spices, and salt & pepper to taste.  Mix thoroughly.  Cover and cook until heated through and salsa cooks down.

Serve atop lettuce and tortilla chips with cilantro and Avocado sour cream.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy.

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Leftover Rice Pudding

A creamy pudding made with leftover rice, milk, sugar, and raisins.

(Updated 1/19/16)
We have a lot of meals that include rice in my house.  I frequently make stir fries and curries that are always served with rice.  I didn't grow up eating much rice at all but now I find that I crave it.  If I go a week or two without serving rice with a meal I have to make a stir fry or other rice accompanying meal immediately.

One of the reasons I think I love rice so much is that it so easy.  A friend bought us (my husband and me) my first ever rice cooker as a Christmas present about 5 or 6 years ago and that fueled my rice infatuation.  Yeah, cooking rice on the stove top really isn't difficult but rice cookers make a consistently good rice and all you have to do is "set it and forget it"...that phrase reminds me of an infomercial. I'm an infomercial nut. I never buy the product(s) but I always am intrigued and say "I want that".  Anyway back to the rice cooker.  They are awesome.  Our original rice cooker broke not too long ago and now we have an even bigger one that has more functions and best of all a timer setting.  I can add the rice and water and program it so the rice is ready whenever I want it.

Extra rice is easy w/ a #ricecooker. Make #LeftoverRice Pudding  [Tweet this]

With using rice often, a consequence is that we often have leftover rice.  This isn't a bad thing I just have to think of more ways to use it.  This rice pudding is a different, non-savory, way to use leftover rice...and it's delicious.  It makes a great breakfast or even dessert.

#LeftoverRicePudding is a great use for #leftoverrice.  [Tweet this]

Leftover Rice Pudding

Ingredients:
From Allrecipe's Old Fashioned Creamy Rice Pudding by Jenn Bechtel

1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
2 cups milk, divided
1 pinch of salt
2/3 cup raisins
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the rice, 1 1/2 cups of milk, and salt.  Cook and stir until thick and creamy.

In a small bowl combine the rest of the milk, egg, and sugar.  Beat well.

Temper the egg mixture by adding a spoonful of the rice mixture and stirring well to combine.  Then pour the egg mixture and raisins into the saucepan and cook, while stirring, for another few minutes until the egg is set.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract.  Serve immediately with cinnamon dusted on top.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Enjoy.

Linked to:  Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper, Saturday Nigh Fever, Share it Sunday, See ya in the Gumbo, Much Ado, Two Cup, LouLou Girls, Brag About It, Tasty Tuesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Wednesday Roundup, Full Plate, Freedom Friday, Eat Crete Party

For more recipes using leftover rice check out:

Kimchi Fried Rice      -

Coconut Rice Pudding    -

Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice

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Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice

A spicy fried rice made from leftovers.  Main ingredients are cabbage, onion, bok choy, and carrot, plus eggs for protein.

Fried rice is a great way to clean out the fridge.  Anytime I have a bunch of leftovers I always think about fried rice.  Fried rice not only is a great way to use leftover rice, but you can add just about anything to it.  If you have left over meats, by all means add them but I only had vegetables so I made this vegetarian.  My inspiration for this dish was kimchi fried rice, which is popular around here and is very tasty and quite spicy.  I didn't have kimchi (a mix of spicy fermented vegetables--mainly cabbage), but I had plenty of cabbage, bok choy and a carrot, so I used these and added sriracha to make it spicy.  It's not the same as kimchi fried rice, but it was a very good and filling dinner (I also made vegetable spring rolls as a side--will post later).

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp ginger
2 Tbsp garlic
1 onion, chopped
1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded (just sliced into relatively thin slices)
1 carrot, julienned
about 1 pound baby bok choy, shredded (sliced as above) (4-5 cups)
2 cups cold rice
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
dash of chili oil
2 tsp sriracha

First scramble the eggs and set aside.

Mix together soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, and sriracha and set aside.

Heat a large saute pan (or wok) over medium heat then add oil.  Next add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant.  Add the onion and stir fry until just tender.

Then add the cabbage and carrots and stir fry for couple of minutes and add the bok choy (the bok choy will mound out of the pan just stuff it in because it will shrink a lot as it cooks).  Add a little water and cover pan to steam.  Let steam for about 5 minutes or until bok choy wilts.

Uncover pan and add the rice (you may want to add more oil to help prevent sticking, but mine always ends up sticking a little, just stir as rapidly as you can, don't make it too oily).  Then pour on the soy sauce mixture.

Stir fry until sauce mixes well with ingredients and rice is cooked to your liking (I usually only cook the rice for a few minutes to get it heated through).

Lastly stir in the scrambled eggs and remove from heat.

Serve immediately, I had vegetable spring rolls on the side.  Makes at least 2 servings.

Enjoy.

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