hands-down the best Mushroom and Kimchi Fried Wild Rice

This Mushroom and Kimchi Fried Wild Rice is filled with all the best Asian flavors and is topped off with a sweet and spicy ginger scallion salad… You have to try it!

To me, kimchi has always been one of those ingredients that’s a bit intimidating to cook with. For those of you who don’t know, kimchi is traditionally Korean fermented vegetables, like cabbage. It’s a bit tangy, and can be prepared with any level of spice. It’s amazing. Even my mom, who doesn’t usually love those adventurous Asian ingredients, is totally on the kimchi bandwagon. 

In fact, my mom was the inspiration for this whole dish. After reading a magazine, she was asking me about kimchi because she read about its many, many health benefits. It protects your heart, helps your immune system, and is a probiotic (good for the gut!)…. And so on and so forth. You get the picture: I decided that I should make a recipe with this superfood. 

In coming up with this recipe, I knew I wanted to do something that a whole family would enjoy. Raw, kimchi can be a really strong flavor, and definitely not something picky eaters would be drawn to. So, a kimchi salad was definitely out of the picture. Instead, I opted for a recipe in which the kimchi is cooked down a bit, which totally mellows out the flavor. In this Mushroom and Kimchi Fried Wild Rice, the tangy good flavor of the kimchi is still prevalent, but it doesn’t punch you in the face. Honestly, if you have a few kimchi skeptics in the room, you don’t have to tell them the kimchi is in here, and I doubt they will even know. This way, you get all the amazing health benefits of kimchi without the fuss. 

the breakdown…

This Mushroom and Kimchi Fried Wild Rice is the perfect, revamped twist on everyone’s favorite Chinese takeout dish. By using wild rice instead of the traditional white, you get a much more crisp texture… plus a couple extra nutrients too:) It’s full of mushrooms, onions, garlic, and topped off with a refreshing ginger scallion salad. I love it as a side dish as it is, but it can easily be made into a main course. Just add a fried egg, some scrambled eggs, or even some stir-fried chicken! Or, to keep things vegetarian, you could add a few avocados into the ginger scallion salad for some more substance. Easy and delicious, there’s not much more you could ask for.

Mushroom and Kimchi Fried Wild Rice

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Side Dish, Main CourseCuisine: Asian, KoreanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

side servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

This Mushroom and Kimchi Fried Wild Rice is filled with all the best Asian flavors and is topped off with a sweet and spicy ginger scallion salad… You have to try it!

Ingredients

• ginger scallion salad:

• 6-8 scallions, sliced

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated

• 3 tsp rice wine vinegar

• 2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted*

• ½ – 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 diced avocado, optional

• assembly:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 8 oz porcini or baby bella mushrooms, chopped

• 1 16 oz jar cabbage kimchi, diced (plus ¼ cup juices)

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup dried wild rice (3 cups cooked), prepared according to package

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• Fried eggs, optional for topping

• Sliced dried seaweed, optional for topping

• Chili paste or sriracha, optional for serving

Instructions

• To make the ginger scallion salad, combine all ingredients and allow to marinate while preparing the rest of the dish.
• In a large skillet or wok, heat olive oil and sesame oil over high heat. Once hot, add in the onion and mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions just start to soften. Add in the kimchi, and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the kimchi starts to crisp and the onion is caramelized. Add in the minced garlic and kimchi juices, and cook for another 30-60 seconds, or until the garlic is fragrant.
• Add in the cooked wild rice and the soy sauce. Spread the rice around around the skillet or wok so that as much rice is touching the skillet as possible. Do not mix for 4-5 minutes to allow the rice to get crispy. Then, remove from heat.
• Serve topped with a fried egg, dried seaweed, chili paste/sriracha, and/or the ginger scallion salad. Enjoy!

Notes

• Instead of sesame seeds, Everything Bagel seasoning is delicious in this. If it’s a salty seasoning, however, I would add less salt
• To add more substance, you could also add two scrambled eggs in with the kimchi. Or, you could top it with some stir fried chicken at the end. 
• You can use whatever type of grain you prefer. Brown rice, white rice, quinoa, or farro would all be delicious. I wouldn’t use cauliflower rice here, though.