Kkakdugi Fried Rice Made with a Type of Kimchi

Kimchi, a traditional Korean food, comes in many varieties. Broadly, it can be divided into napa cabbage kimchi and radish kimchi, with variations depending on the preparation method, region and household. There are as many as 117 varieties, including 11 types of napa cabbage kimchi, 21 types of radish kimchi, 20 types of leafy vegetable kimchi, 19 types of water kimchi and 46 other types. When 16 types of kkakdugi and 10 types of dongchimi are included, the total reaches 143. Winter kimchi, which is commonly eaten, generally uses a relatively large amount of seasoning ingredients, while summer kimchi uses simpler ingredients for a lighter flavor, and kimchi in southern regions is made less salty.

Kkakdugi Made with Radish

Kkakdugi is a type of kimchi made by salting radish cut into cubes, draining it, and mixing it with red pepper powder, salted shrimp, water parsley, minced garlic, scallions and minced green onion. It is traditionally prepared from late fall to early winter, when radishes are in season and at their most flavorful. As Korea's seolleongtang has rapidly emerged as a globally recognized soup dish, kkakdugi, which pairs exceptionally well with it, has also gained international attention. Besides seolleongtang, kkakdugi also pairs well with shrimp fried rice. Kkakdugi can be used in a variety of dishes. Representative examples include kkakdugi fried rice and stir-fried kkakdugi.

How to Make Kkakdugi Fried Rice

Ingredients: kkakdugi, Spam, cold rice, green onion, cooking oil, sesame oil and egg

1. Cut the kkakdugi, Spam and green onion into bite-sized pieces.
2. Generously coat a heated frying pan with cooking oil and stir-fry the green onion.
3. Once the green onion-infused oil is ready, add the Spam and stir-fry until golden brown.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir-fry, then finish with sesame oil and a fried egg on top.

[Fam Times = Reporter Lee Young-joo]