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This easy to make 5 minute kimchi fried rice is made in one skillet and makes for the perfect lunch!

I often have leftover white rice in the refrigerator, on purpose.

Whenever I make rice, I make a bit more so that I have enough leftover rice to make fried rice for lunch the next day.

An important note about cooked rice –

Uncooked rice contain spores of a common bacteria called Bacillus cereus that survives during the cooking process.

If you leave cooked rice at room temperature too long, the spores can turn into bacteria. These bacteria can potentially produce toxins that lead to food poisoning symptoms.

That said, as long as cooked rice is quickly cooled and then properly stored in the refrigerator, any harm can be avoided and there is no need to worry.

Now that this info is out of the way, let’s celebrate having leftover rice by making an 8 ingredient, quick and delicious kimchi friend rice.

You can use homemade kimchi or your favorite store bought.

A few ingredients that will elevate these simple ingredients are gochugaru, which are Korean red chili flakes, sugar and MSG or salt.

MSG short for Monosodium glutamate is a flavor enhancer gives an umami kick to any dish.

It’s made from an amino acid called L-glutamic acid, produced by fermenting corn, sugar cane, sugar beets, tapioca or molasses.

The myth that it is “harmful” has long been debunked and sadly stems from racist fears.

That said, if you don’t have access to MSG or prefer not to use it, you can simply use salt instead.

To make this friend rice, all you will need is a small skillet. Preferably and non-stick skillet.

Everything is added in stages to allow each ingredient to slightly cook, caramelize, heat through and fry.

For added protein and flavor, I love creating a well in the middle and pan fry an egg during the last few minutes of cooking time.

To garnish, I like adding sliced green onion which I always keep in my freezer for easy access.

I add those to the skillet right after adding the egg to give them just enough time to defrost.

As a last touch, adding a bit of chili garlic oil adds another level of umami and spice.