Pumpkin + Kimchi Fried Rice (Vegan)

Kimchi fried rice is one of my favourite quick and easy flavour-bomb meals as the kimchi does all the heavy lifting on the flavour front, so much so that you hardly have to add anything else to the rice. But here, the addition of teeny tiny little nuggets of tender diced pumpkin adds a lovely sweetness that really love too. 

The trick to good fried rice? Use leftover cooked rice that’s been in the fridge at least overnight. This will ensure the grains remain separate and don’t clump together into one big soggy wet mess in the pan. I kept things really plain and simple here, but by all means add some greens to the pan when you cook the pumpkin for a little extra goodness and colour. Some fresh coriander leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped, would also be lovely scattered on top.

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Pumpkin + kimchi fried rice

I’ve used butternut pumpkin here, but any flavoursome pumpkin will do. Do your best to dice it as finely as you can to ensure quick cooking. If vegetarian or vegan, ensure your kimchi is free of fish-sauce. For added protein, serve topped with a fried egg or tofu. This recipe can easily be doubled to feed more.

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut, olive or peanut oil
• 2 spring onions (scallions) finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 cup finely diced pumpkin see headnotes
• 2 cups cold cooked jasmine rice leftover rice is perfect
• 1/2 cup kimchi roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari gluten-free if needed
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon lightly toasted sesame seeds
• fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add finely diced pumpkin and cook, stirring often 3-4 minutes, until starting to colour and just tender (this time could vary if your dice is a little on the large side). Add the white parts of the spring onion and chopped garlic and cook for a further minute before adding the cold rice. Cook, stirring often until warmed through and the grains have separated. Add kimchi, stir well and remove from the heat. Stir through soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and half the sliced green spring onion tops. Season with salt and ground white pepper, to taste and serve immediately, topped with remaining sliced green spring onion tops.

Notes

This recipe was first created for and featured in Nourish Magazine, NZ.