Korean Kimchi Bokkeumbap, Kimchi Fried Cauliflower Rice

📍 Where this dish comes from: Seoul · Bukchon Hanok Village
Discover the history of this region →

Kimchi bokkeumbap is the dish Korean home cooks make when the kimchi in the fridge has turned perfectly sour and there is leftover rice to use up. Pork belly renders into the pan, kimchi caramelizes in its fat, and a runny fried egg crowns the bowl. Cauliflower rice soaks up all that flavor and keeps the dish firmly keto.

Per serving: 627 calories · 7.2 g net carbs · 20 g protein · 56 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)

What You’ll Need

Korean Kimchi Bokkeumbap, Kimchi Fried Cauliflower Rice

Kimchi bokkeumbap is the dish Korean home cooks make when the kimchi in the fridge has turned perfectly sour and there is leftover rice to use up. Pork belly renders into the pan, kimchi caramelizes in its fat, and a runny fried egg crowns the bowl. Cauliflower rice soaks up all that flavor and keeps the dish firmly keto.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Korean

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 627kcal

Ingredients

• 6 ounces pork belly cut into thin bite-size strips
• 1 cup well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi chopped
• 2 tablespoons kimchi juice
• 3 cups riced cauliflower squeezed dry
• 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 scallions sliced, whites and greens separated
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil
• 1 sheet roasted seaweed (gim) cut into strips
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Put the pork belly in a large cold skillet or wok and set it over medium heat. Cook, stirring now and then, until the fat renders and the edges crisp, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Add the chopped kimchi and scallion whites and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the kimchi softens and starts to caramelize.
• Add the riced cauliflower, kimchi juice, gochugaru and soy sauce. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and any liquid has cooked off.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil and scallion greens. Divide between two bowls.
• In a small skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat and fry the eggs sunny side up until the edges are crisp and lacy. Top each bowl with an egg, seaweed strips and sesame seeds.

Notes

Older, sour kimchi gives the best flavor, so this is the perfect way to use the end of a jar. Squeezing the cauliflower rice in a clean towel before cooking keeps it fluffy instead of mushy.

Chef's Tip: Press the cauliflower flat in the pan for the last minute without stirring. The crispy bits on the bottom are the best part.

Keto Swap: White rice is replaced with cauliflower rice, cutting roughly 40 grams of net carbs per serving. Many recipes add sugar to balance sour kimchi; the rich pork fat does that job here.

Success Tip: Swap the pork belly for diced bacon or leftover chicken. A slice of cheese melted over the top is a popular Korean twist kids love.

Nutrition is calculated from the ingredients and is an estimate per serving. Net carbs exclude fiber and allulose.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 627kcal | Protein: 20g | Fat: 56g | Fiber: 5.9g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

About This Dish

Kimchi bokkeumbap is one of the most common home-cooked meals in Korea because it turns two leftovers, old kimchi and cooked rice, into something new. As kimchi ferments, it grows more sour, and Koreans prize well-aged kimchi for cooking even when it is too strong to eat plain. The fried egg on top is so traditional that many people consider the dish incomplete without it. Strips of roasted seaweed, called gim, add a toasty, salty finish. Restaurants sometimes serve it in a hot stone bowl so the bottom keeps crisping at the table.

This recipe is from The Ultimate Korean Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 1: Breakfast (Bukchon Hanok Village). See all Korean recipes