Kimchi Fried Rice Arancini

Today’s dish is not your typical kimchi fried rice. We’re taking it to the next level by turning it into Kimchi Fried Rice Arancini – crispy fried rice balls made with kimchi fried rice. They’re super crispy and absolutely delicious!

What Is Kimchi Fried Rice?

Kimchi fried rice (김치볶음밥) is one of the most popular fried rice dishes in Korea. It’s made by frying kimchi and rice together in a pan, often with the addition of ham, meat, or eggs. Kimchi fried rice is simple and easy to prepare, making it a favorite dish for Koreans to cook at home.

Kimchi Fried Rice Arancini — Photo : nyt cooking

Viral Kimchi Fried Rice

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of foreigners making kimchi fried rice on social media. For Koreans, kimchi fried rice is a quick and easy meal we throw together when we don’t have many ingredients on hand—just kimchi, ham, and an egg mixed with rice to get a meal ready fast.

But watching foreigners add all sorts of ingredients and turn it into something fancy is fascinating. I wonder if this is how Italians feel when they see Koreans pile on a bunch of toppings on pizza. Haha.

Quick and Easy Korean Menu

My family used to have kimchi fried rice for breakfast quite often. It was something my mom could whip up quickly while getting ready for work, and she only used simple ingredients—just kimchi and ham—but it was always so delicious. Maybe it tasted extra special because it was made with love?

Since moving from Korea to Belgium, I don’t eat kimchi fried rice as often. In Korea, we used kimchi in so many dishes that it wasn’t unusual to have a meal with kimchi fried rice, kimchi soup, kimchi pancakes, and more, all at once. But here in Belgium, kimchi is expensive, and since I buy it in small amounts, I try to conserve it, which means I don’t make kimchi-heavy dishes as often.

If you have a lot of kimchi, the dish you’ll want to make the most is kimchi jjim. Unlike kimchi jjigae, this dish uses whole pieces of kimchi, which gives it a deep and rich flavor. This recipe contains my mom’s secret tips, and I can confidently say it’s the best kimchi jjim recipe of my life!

Pork Belly Kimchi Jjim (Braised Kimchi)

This is a kimchi jjim with a deeper and richer flavor than the traditional kimchi stew I learned from my mom. By simmering cabbage kimchi and whole pork belly, the harmony of flavors is simply amazing. Don't miss out on my mom's secret ingredients!

Check out this recipe

Other dishes using kimchi stir-fry

This is Tofu Kimchi stir-fried with kimchi and pork, making it even more savory and delicious – perfect for meat lovers!

Meat Lover’s Tofu Kimchi

This is a protein-packed tofu dish made for meat lovers! Generously topped with savory pork kimchi stir-fry, it's a flavorful side dish and a fantastic snack to pair with drinks. The Pork Kimchi Stir-Fry is also delicious served over rice!

Check out this recipe

This is a Korean lunch box (Dosirak) with kimchi stir-fry. It’s the kind of lunch my parents’ generation used to take to school, and it became even more famous after the players in Squid Game ate it. It’s really tasty and convenient, so you should definitely try to make it!

Squid Game Korean Lunch Box (Dosirak)

Let’s Make the Korean Lunch Box from Squid Game! This is a nutrient-packed lunch box full of carbs, protein, and healthy fats, and it only takes 10 minutes to make! It’s so delicious, you’ll want to lick the plate clean!

Check out this recipe

Korean and Italian Fusion Cuisine

Today, I really started craving my mom’s homemade kimchi fried rice, so I wanted to recreate those memories on my plate in a special way. I decided to make kimchi fried rice with an Italian twist by turning it into crispy arancini with a tomato cream sauce on the side. The outer shell is crunchy, and the melted cheese inside is so satisfying—a perfect fusion of Korean and Italian flavors. How about sharing this special dish, kimchi fried rice arancini, with someone you love today?

Kimchi Fried Rice Arancini

If you live abroad, which dish from your home do you miss the most? I’m sure many would say it's the food their mom used to make with love. For me, it’s my mom’s kimchi fried rice that I miss the most. Today, I recreated that nostalgic taste in a special way with a Korean-Italian fusion dish—Kimchi Fried Rice Arancini.

Servings 4 People

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

1 Small sauce pot A fry pan is also fine.
1 Deep fry pan
1 Spatula
1 Tbsp
1 tsp
1 Food Scissors To cut kimchi. You can use a knife as well.
1 Rice cooker You can use instant rice as well.

Ingredients

Kimchi Fried Rice Arancini

2-3 leaves Kimchi
24 g Ham
3 Tbsp Cooking oil
1/3 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp Butter
1.5 Bowls Rice
4 Pieces Mozzarella cheese (for stuffing) (for stuffing)
5 Tbsp Flour (for coating)
2 Eggs (for coating)
100 g Breadcrumbs (for coating)
2 L Frying Oil

Tomato Cream Sauce

100 ml Heavy cream
2 Tbsp Tomato paste (or tomato sauce/purée)
1 Pinch Salt
1 Pinch Parsley (for garnish)

Instructions

Preparing ingredients for kimchi fried rice

Finely chop 2-3 leaves of kimchi.
Dice the ham into small pieces.

Make kimchi fried rice

Heat 2-3tbsp of cooking oil in a pan and stir-fry the kimchi.
Add 1/3tbsp of sugar, 1tbsp of soy sauce, and the ham, and continue stir-frying.
Adding 1/2 tbsp of butter enhances the flavor.
Add 1.5 bowls of rice and stir-fry everything together.