Caramelized kimchi fried rice over Korean corn cheese

 

So corn cheese is an artifact of the Korean war when American soldiers introduced canned corn, shredded cheese, and mayonnaise to the Korean peninsula. It's now often served there as a side dish or for kids, but in this dish, it makes a wonderful foundation for the spicy, tangy, boldly-flavored kimchi fried rice. Who knew global hegemony could taste so good?!

I like to caramelize the kimchi because it's intense, sharp flavor mellows and sweetens a bit. It's a fantastic combination of sour, tangy, acidic, spicy, and umami. Over the rich and slightly sweet corn, this dish is a balanced flavor powerhouse! 

Prep time 2 cocktails

For the corn:

2 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels

2 cups grated low-moisture mozzarella

1/4 cup mayo (store bought or homemade)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp gochugaru (you can also substitute hot paprika or Aleppo pepper)

1/4 tsp salt

Several grinds of black pepper

For the rice:
2 TBSP Gochutang paste
1 tsp soy sauce (you can also use a 50/50 soy/fish sauce combo)For the rice:

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 TBSP butter

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice, chilled

1-1.5 cups kimchi, coarsley chopped (try to keep as much of the juice as possible)

3 cloves garlic

6 scallions sliced diagonally

1 bunch spinach, coarsely chopped

Eggs (optional) - you can fry them over easy on the side and serve on top of this dish or add them scrambled to the pan before adding the rice and cook until they become ruffled around the edges of the pan and have set a little bit

Preheat over to 400F. Combine all the corn ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until everything is integrated. Transfer to an 8" cast iron pan or a ~6x8" baking dish. Place in oven and cook until the center is melted and a little bubbly. Then switch on the broiler and broil until the top is nicely browned, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a bit while you finish the rice.

Once your corn is in the oven, you can start the rice: Start by combining the Gochutang paste, soy (or soy/fish sauce combo), and sesame oil in a bowl and whisk until everything is integrated. 

Now heat a large frying pan or wok over medium heat. When the pan is warm, add the butter and melt, then add garlic and 2/3 of your scallions and saute 60 seconds or until aromatic but not turning golden yet. Add kimchi and saute, stirring frequently, until kimchi is a little caramelized, about 10 minutes. Once kimchi is a little caramelized, add the soy sauce mixture and stir well. Then add the rice (with the the eggs before the rice, if you're doing scrambled eggs), and stir well. Cook until the mixture gets sizzling (if the sauce sticks to the pan, you can deglaze with a splash of water). Add the spinach and cook, stirring, 2-3 more minutes until it has shrunken, softened, and turned a vibrant green. Adjust soy (or soy/fish) sauce and sesame oil, if needed.

By the time your rice is finished, your corn should be cooled enough to eat! Spoon the rice on top of the corn, which is still in the pan. Garnish with the  remaining 1/3 of your scallions (and sesame seeds or strips of seaweed, if you like). If you made any fried eggs, an egg can go on top each portion after you dish everything up.