Fried rice is my greatest temptation. If it’s on the menu, you bet I am ordering. I especially love the fusion versions of fried rice, which is why I created this Cuban fusion kimchi fried rice. It has all the flavors of a kimchi fried rice with the addition of chicken, sweet plantains, and a fried egg on top, which gives it that extra touch. There is nothing like breaking a fried egg and watching the golden yolk run.
What type of rice do you use to make cuban kimchi fried rice?
I use either regular white rice or jasmine rice. The key is to make it slightly less dry than you typically would, only because once you add all the sauces and other ingredients it makes the rice slightly mushier. I typically make my rice in a rice cooker, so I can set it and forget it as I prepare the other ingredients. If you don’t have a rice cooker, no worries, just make it as per the direction on the package.
What is kimchi?
Kimchi is a staple Korean side dish. It is made of salted and fermented vegetables. They all have different flavors, but the majority are salty, sour, and spicy which goes great with the sweet plantains in this dish. It makes this Cuban kimchi fried rice the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and spicy.
Where can I find kimchi?
So the first time I tried looking for kimchi, I was walking around the grocery store for about 30 minutes attempting to find it. Being a stubborn Cuban man, I refused to ask for help. Eventually my wife came and asked, we found it in a matter of minutes. We learned at that point that kimchi can be typically found in the refrigerated section in the produce department of your local grocery store!
Don’t forget to rate and review this cuban kimchi fried rice recipe in the comments below!
Cuban Kimchi Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups of cooked rice white or jasmine
- 1 lb of boneless chicken breast
- 1 cup of onions diced
- 3 garlic cloves diced
- 1 in of fresh garlic grated
- 1 cup of kimchi chopped
- 1-2 tlbs of kimchi sauce
- 2 tlbs of soy sauce
- 1 tlbs of sesame seed oil
- 8 fried sweet plantains chopped
- 4 eggs
- Green onions to top off the dish
- 2 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- Cooking oil
Instructions
- Make the rice as directed by the package.
- Dice the chicken breast into bite size pieces (approximately ¼ inch or as desired). Season with the salt and pepper.
- Dice your onions and garlic and grate your ginger. Set aside separately.
- Lightly coat a pot with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 5-8 minutes, until done. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Lightly coat the pot with oil once again and add the onions and cook for about 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat until translucent. After, add the garlic and ginger and cook for about one minute, until aromatic.
- Add the chopped kimchi and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the 4 cups of cooked rice, kimchi sauce, soy sauce, sesame seed oil. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring and fluffing the rice. After, add the sweet plantains and stir to combine.
- Prior to serving, prepare to fry the eggs by heating about 1 tsps of oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the pan is fully heated, carefully pour in the egg, and let it cook until the whites are no longer translucent but the yolk is still soft. Repeat for the remaining eggs.
- Serve the rice, with the egg on top and dress with green onions!
