Sometimes you make a recipe just for you. Nobody else in my family will eat this Kimchi Stir Fry except me, but that’s OKAY WITH ME. For me, it’s the perfect fast lunch or dinner. Fast, super flavorful, and easy to toss together.
While I sometimes add protein, like pork, to this stir fry, I actually like it most days as a vegetarian dish. The kimchi is the star of the stir fry, but there are a few other key ingredients that play a roll as well. If you are looking for a quick stir-fry dish to make (even just for YOU), then this Kimchi Stir Fry is worth a shot!
What is Kimchi?
If you aren’t familiar with kimchi, the real star of this stir fry, it’s basically fermented cabbage. I’ll be completely honest. Some kimchi versions do not appear to be edible. But trust me when I say it’s maybe the most addictive food in the world. It’s spicy and savory and just a tiny bit sour.
It’s good on its own, but it’s really good in dishes like this.
The good news is that you can find some sort of kimchi in almost all grocery stores these days. I found this jar of it, which turned out to be surprisingly spicy and delicious, in my local King Soopers grocery store. Nothing fancy!
If you do find yourself in an Asian grocery store, you will probably be able to find big jugs of homemade kimchi in the back somewhere and it’s worth trying them!
I love kimchi as a healthy snack, but it’s also great in stir fries like this one.
The Rice Noodles
There are a lot of options for the starch for this stir fry. I like rice noodles because they are a bit lighter but still soak up some of the deliciousness from the other ingredients.
The key to rice noodles is to wash them well after cooking so they don’t get too sticky. You could also use glass noodles if you wanted a different texture or even plain rice would work fine!
Preparing the Stir Fry Vegetables
This is a pretty straightforward stir fry to make, but to make sure to have your vegetables chopped as it all comes together quickly.
I recommend roughly chopping the bok choy. Rinse it really well also as there can be a lot of dirt in the bok choy leaves.
Making the Stir Fry Sauce
You don’t technically need a sauce for this stir fry. The sauce that is in the kimchi is plenty with maybe a splash of soy sauce.
But, if you have some gochujang in your fridge, it’s worth making this sauce as it does amp up the flavors a bit. Basically, I just whisk together the gochujang chili paste with some soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. I stirred a little bit of this sauce into my mayo as well for a quick, creamy topping.
The Stir Fry Process
I tried to capture my stir fry process in pictures here. First, heat up your wok or skillet with a drizzle of neutral oil. Then add the bok choy. It needs the most time to cook.
Then once the veggies start to soften a bit and take on some color, you can add the kimchi.
Next up in the order (with maybe 30 seconds of cooking in between each of these additions) is the noodles and sauce. Once you add the sauce, don’t cook the stir fry too much or it will start to burn.
Toss everything together and you’ll be done with this amazingly easy kimchi stir fry recipe! Try not to eat it straight out of the wok!
How to Serve the Stir Fry
It might sound kind of crazy for a stir fry but serving this with a creamy sauce is the best idea. It cuts through some of the spiciness and saltiness of the kimchi. I just mix some mayo with a little of the stir fry sauce (or a dash of soy sauce) and lime and drizzle that over the stir fry with some roasted sesame seeds!
If you can find kewpie mayo, you can use that also as a topping!
Kimchi Stir Fry with Rice Noodles
Equipment
- 1 Wok
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles, cooked and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 baby bok choy, chopped
- 3 scallions, white and greens separated
- 1 cup kimchi, chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons gochujang sauce
- ½ lime, juice only
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Sesame seeds, garnish
Spicy Mayo:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon stir fry sauce, from above
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
Instructions
- Cook rice noodles according to package. Drain and rinse well with cold water. In a small bowl, mix together the gochujang, soy sauce, lime, and brown sugar for a quick stir fry sauce. (The sauce is optional and you can just season with soy sauce if you want.)
- Roughly chop bok choy, scallions, and kimchi and set aside.
- In wok or large skillet, add vegetable oil over medium-high heat.Once oil is hot, add bok choy and toss for a minute or two. Then add scallions and kimchi and continue to stir-fry for a minute or two.
- Add cooked noodles and sauce and toss together. Cook for a minute or two and then divide between plates.Garnish each plate of kimchi stir fry with sesame seeds and drizzle with mayonnaise sauce.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Storing and Reheating the Stir Fry
This stir fry keeps really well for a few days in the fridge. After 3-4 days the bok choy will start to break down a bit and get sad. But, it works great for a quick lunch option and is actually decent cold!
If you do want to reheat this, no worries. It reheats well in the microwave or in a small skillet with a splash of water.
Tania
If only I knew what kimchi is ;-) I' gather that I will find it at my local chinese food shop?don't worry I'll google it – looks so yummy Nick!
Nick
You can 100% find it at any self-respecting asian market. Sometimes I even see it in the grocery store. It's usually in the refrigerated section next to the pickles and other fermented goods.
Emily
My husband and I have the exact same conversation quite a bit, except I'm the one cooking and telling him he smells.
Lisa
Kimchi is like crack. If you find a good version, you'll look up and realize you've eaten the entire jar.
Next time try a fried egg on top – the food truck here in Seattle, Marination Mobile, serves a kimchi fried rice bowl with an egg that is killer. http://www.marinationmobile.com/wp-content/upload…
Amy
I LOVE kimchi, and this post made me realize I haven't had Korean food since we left LA several years ago. Sadly, this looks like the sort of thing my kiddos would refuse to eat (not because they are picky but because it's new and they're at that age where they turn up their noses at new things). But I would love it! I guess that hasn't stopped me from making other "strange" things, but I do feel a little bad sending them to bed a bit hungry because I made something unfamiliar but refuse to cook something different for them. Maybe I'll try it anyway. This and the Vietnamese noodle salad you posted recently. YUM!
erisgrrrl
I heart Kimchi AND kewpie! Kewpie has more egg in it than a normal mayo apparently. Plus, when you take the lid off it has frills like a little piping bag! I could just squeeze that stuff down my gullet! :D
xiuxiu
I love love love Kewpie. It's the best thing ever, I used to put it in all of my meals.
Mark
I don’t know if you’re still checking this site regarding your kimchi stirfry but if you’re out there, I just wanted to tell you that I made your recipe tonight, pretty much ingredient for ingredient, and it was just delicious. I love kimchi but never would have thought to add it to a stirfry. My wife has never been into kimchi but she was impressed. We will add this to our favorites. And the kewpie mayo, which I had never heard of before and was successful in locating at the second Asian market I tried, was just the icing on the cake. Thanks again for the recipe…
Nick
Hey Mark! Thanks man. Yea… I still read all comments (even ones on old posts) just in case somebody has questions about a recipe or something.
Always happy to hear positive feedback though!
Cheers,
Nick
Greg
This kimchi stir-fry kicks ass! I’ve sent this recipe to several friends. Great website as well!
Cindy
do you have instructions on how to make kimchi? I used to know how, but sadly can’t remember exactly how. thanks
Nick
I’ve never actually done it Cindy, but I saw instructions on the Kitchn a while ago:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-cabbage-kimchi-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-189390
Good luck!
Jessica Stanton
Enjoy this recipe so much that my 12-yr-old son and I began making our own kimchi.
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