Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice

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Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice | Get Inspired Everyday!

What is it about bacon that transcends the line between sweet and savory, making everything it’s added to taste better!?! Bacon doughnuts – um… yes please, or we can do a 180º and add bacon to kimchi fried rice – either way it’s equally good.

This recipe started off as just kimchi fried rice, but I had a partial package of bacon in the fridge which was next to the jar of kimchi. And I think you can guess where this is going because of course I grabbed both the kimchi and the bacon. I’m glad this welcome addition happened because bacon adds a whole new smoky dimension that really kicks the flavor of kimchi up a notch.

Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice | Get Inspired Everyday!

I’m relatively new to the world kimchi, to good kimchi that is – my first experience with it was less than stellar, and I didn’t try it again for years. The first time I tasted it, I’ll have to say I really disliked it because as it would happen, it didn’t taste much like the real thing at all. It came out of a little plastic pouch and had a weird indescribable prepackaged flavor.

But with it’s recent popularity, some really great store bought kimchis have been popping up in our local grocery stores. You want to look for one that needs to be refrigerated, and preferably it would be raw for the best flavor if you want to eat it plain.

Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice | Get Inspired Everyday!

To make the sauce for the ‘fried rice’ you squeeze the juices out of the kimchi to add in at the end of the cooking time. Usually the kimchi is stir fried right with the rice, or in this case, cauliflower rice – but if you want to preserve some of the raw factor of your kimchi, you can stir it in right at the end.

Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice | Get Inspired Everyday!

Grating cauliflower with a box grater seems to produce a more even textured cauliflower rice, but the food processor is definitely faster.

Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice | Get Inspired Everyday!

Once the ‘fried rice’ is finished, you can keep it warm on the back burner while you make the over-easy eggs. Adding an over-easy egg is completely necessary in my opinion, I think it adds so much to the overall dish to have the runny yolk break over the top of a bowl of rice.

Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice | Get Inspired Everyday!

Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice | Get Inspired Everyday!

Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice | Get Inspired Everyday!

I still haven’t found the gumption or time to make my own kimchi, but I have a feeling that’s just a matter of time. Kimchi has quickly become my favorite of fermented foods, second only to kombucha, but it’s pretty close to a tie.

My family is part German and sauerkraut has always been pretty big deal, but for some reason I’ve never really been fond of it. Kimchi is what I’ve always wanted sauerkraut to be, it’s much less sour with only a slight tang, and I love the slight spice and flavor of the chili in it.

Tyler isn’t really a fan of anything pickled or sour in flavor, so I was really surprised when he loved kimchi as well. I hope if you’ve had a bad experience with fermented foods before, you’ll give kimchi a try because it’s one of those ‘healthy foods’ that you just can’t stop eating!

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Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice | Get Inspired Everyday!

Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice


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5 from 1 review

Ingredients

Scale

Fried Rice:

  • 1 head cauliflower, 2 pounds
  • 4 strips lean meaty bacon, thinly sliced, 4 ounces
  • 1 Tablespoon avocado oil, plus a little more for cooking the eggs
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch green onions, both the white and green part thinly sliced
  • 2 cups kimchi, squeezed and the juice reserved
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
  • red pepper flakes
  • 4 eggs for the fried rice + 12 eggs per serving for over-easy eggs
  • sea salt to taste

Sauce:

  • juice from the kimchi, about 1/2- 3/4 cup
  • 2 Tablespoons gluten free soy sauce, or coconut aminos
  • 2 Teaspoons sesame oil

Instructions

  1. Trim the leaves from the head of cauliflower, and cut the florets away from the core. Process the florets into ‘rice’ in 2 batches in a 12-cup food processor, and set the rice aside.
  2. Heat a large skillet, 15″ or bigger, over medium high heat. Sauté the bacon until it’s browned and crispy, then add the avocado oil, garlic, and green onions. Stir fry just until the mixture becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the kimchi and stir fry for 1 minute, then add the cauliflower rice and cook stirring frequently until the rice is tender, about 8 minutes.
  3. Add the 4 eggs and stir fry until the eggs are fully cooked, then add in the sauce and cook stirring just until combined. Season the fried rice to taste with sea salt if needed. Keep the fried rice warm over low heat while you make the over-easy eggs.
  4. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add 1-2 teaspoons avocado oil, and crack the additional 1-2 eggs per serving into the pan. Cook until the eggs are your desired doneness, and serve them over the top of the bacon kimchi fried rice with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.

Notes

This dish refrigerates and reheats really well, I make a big batch and cook over-easy eggs per serving as needed.
You may need to salt the final fried rice dish to taste, it will vary depending on the type of kimchi you use and how salty it is.

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins

 

8 thoughts on “Bacon Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice”

  1. The first recipe I tried on here a couple years ago and loved it. We do use rice but someday I’ll use the cauliflower rice instead. Sooooo goood! Thanks Kari!






    Reply
    • Rice is really good too, and it’s the perfect way to use up any leftover steamed rice when you have it! We make this with rice sometimes too, just depends on what I have on hand. If you do try cauliflower rice, you can always buy it frozen which makes it way more convenient!

      Reply
  2. Made this tonight, it was awesome! Perfectly satisfying. Bought all of my ingredients at trader joe’s, they have pre-riced cauliflower in the vegetable section and kimchi also! Can’t wait to make this again, next time I’ll add more bacon, save some of the green onions to sprinkle on the top after cooked and add some raw kimchi at the end.

    Reply
  3. I love that you said Tylor isn’t the biggest fan of pickled or sour flavors because I pretty much hang in that group, too – but this dish just looks so good, I think I need to step outside my comfort zone!

    Reply
    • I hope you enjoy it, he really doesn’t like anything pickled (with the occasional pickled onion on a taco) and mustard is only acceptable if it’s well hidden with other flavors. I couldn’t believe he liked kimchi, I figured it would be a definite no, but I guess you never can tell until you try it!

      Reply

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