Kimchi Fried Quinoa

The Hungry Piglets have had some really good Kimchi fried rice through these eating adventures but I always find that the fried rice is a little too greasy.  And although white rice is tasty, it's not the healthiest either so after getting my hands on some handmade kimchi at H-Mart, I thought I might be able to make a tasty but healthy meal option for Mr and I.  Since we eat out so much (for blogging purposes of course - ha!), eating healthy at home is definitely a must.  Here goes the experiment!  Enjoy!

Tools needed:

• Knife and cutting board
• Rice cooker
• Large pot
• Spatula
• Frying pan

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced chicken, ground pork or ground beef (or tofu cubes if you want to make it vegetarian)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup kimchi sauce/juice
• 1/2 cup kimchi, diced
• 2 and 3 tablespoons of diced green onion, separated
• 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 medium-sized onion, finely diced
• 2 and 2 cloves of garlic minced, separated
• 3-4 large eggs
• 2 and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (or canola oil will do)
• 1 and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, separated
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Cook quinoa in the rice cooker by adding in the quinoa, water and kimchi juice.  Leave it to cook and when it is finished, just set it aside.


2.  Marinate your meat by adding the soy sauce, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and salt and pepper (if desired - I didn't add any as the kimchi I was going to use already had lots of salt and flavoring).  Set it aside and let it marinate for at least 20 minutes, overnight is also possible.


3.  Heat a large pot on med-high heat with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.  When the pot and oil is heated to med-high heat, add your meat product and cook for 6-7 minutes or until the meat is thoroughly cooked through.  


4.  Add diced onions and 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute until the onions are almost translucent.  Add the kimchi and cook for another 6-7 minutes or until the kimchi is thoroughly heated and slightly cooked.


5.  Add 3 tablespoons of green onion and cook for another 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and add cooked quinoa and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil.  Mix thoroughly.  Add salt and pepper if desired.  Set aside.


6.  Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to a frying pan and cook 3-4 eggs sunny side up - make sure the yolk is still runny!


7.  Add kimchi rice to a bowl and top with sunny side up egg and then garnish with 2 tablespoons of green onion.

8.  Eat and enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from Trifood)


Note: this recipe is really flexible - if you don't like quinoa, substitute it for rice and if you want it vegetarian, substitute the meat for tofu.  Easy!