Kimchi Fried Rice

Method

1. 1Use cold, day-old rice if you can. Fresh warm rice steams and clumps in the pan and turns the dish gluey; refrigerated rice has dried out and fries into separate grains. If you only have fresh rice, spread it on a tray to cool and dry for 15 minutes.
2. 2Chop the kimchi into bite-sized pieces and squeeze it lightly, saving the juice in a small bowl. Dice the Spam and slice the spring onion, keeping the green tops for garnish.
3. 3Heat the vegetable oil in a wide pan or wok over medium-high heat and fry the diced Spam until the edges are browned and crisp. Push it to one side.
4. 4Add the chopped kimchi, garlic, and gochugaru to the pan and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the kimchi smells cooked and caramelised at the edges. This step is what deepens the flavour — raw kimchi tastes flat here.
5. 5Stir in the gochujang and the reserved kimchi juice, cook for a minute, then add the rice. Break up any clumps and toss everything over high heat until the grains are coated and heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.
6. 6Off the heat, stir through the sesame oil and the white parts of the spring onion. Taste and adjust with a little more kimchi juice or gochujang.
7. 7In a separate pan, fry the eggs sunny-side up with crisp edges and runny yolks. Top each portion of rice with an egg and scatter with crumbled nori, sesame seeds, and the reserved spring onion greens.