Korean-Style Fried Rice (Maybe)

I'm not sure just how Korean-style this fried rice recipe is.  I found the recipe on the Internet and transcribed it, but I didn't make note of the website from which I found it and I can't seem to relocate it.  As I looked at a number of websites with various Korean-style fried rice recipes, I realize that there is no such thing as the definitive Korean Fried Rice Recipe.  Fried Rice among Asian cultures might have some generally distinct attributes but regionally, fried rice recipes are all across the board.  It's easy to understand why.  Fried rice was a way for families to use previously cooked rice adding whatever ingredients they had on hand.  So there can be literally billions of variations on the same theme:  cooked rice, fried in a wok, with added vegetables and proteins, seasoned with soy sauce first and then the sky is the limit.

It's kind of like hamburgers in the U.S.  All hamburgers follow a general theme:  bread, beef patty, veggies and a sauce of some kind, but beyond that, one only needs to put a McDonald's Big Mac along side a Five Guys Cheeseburger to understand not all hamburgers are created equal.

If there is a common denominator among Korean fried rice recipes, it's that most seem to contain meat (which can be beef, pork or chicken), an egg (be it fried on top or scrambled within), kimchi and gochujang. Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made of salted and fermented cabbage and other vegetables such as radishes, carrots, cucumbers and onions.  It was a way to preserve and store vegetables for the winter.  Gochujang is a red chili paste made from fermented glutinous rice.

If the last two items are defining characteristics of Korean Fried Rice, then no, this is not really fried rice in the Korean style.  That said, its a damn good recipe that honestly, could have been a single dish meal on its own, but I served it along side my Korean Style Short Rib Tacos with Cucumber Slaw, the recipe for which can be found here. So, I'll keep the Korean moniker for now, adding a parenthetical "maybe."

You can make your own long grain white rice for this recipe, or do what I did, which was to use a couple of 8-1/2 ounce pouches of microwavable Jasmine and Basmati rice.  Both are more flavorful than regular long grain white rice with complimenting flavors.  Rice purists are probably horrified I used both kinds of rice, but that's what I had on hand, which brings us back to the humble beginnings of fried rice in the first place.

Ingredients
2 8.5-oz pouches microwavable long grain white rice (about 2-3/4 cups)
4 slices thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into lardons (thin, perpendicularly-cut strips)
2 eggs, beaten
3 green onions, finely chopped with white and green parts separated
2 cups frozen baby green peas, defrosted in the microwave
3-4 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (like, Kikkoman)
2 tbsp oyster sauce (like Lee Kum Kee Panda)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sriracha sauce (like, Huy Fong)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp garlic, finely minced
3 tbsp butter

The Recipe
Add the green parts of the green onions to the scrambled eggs and blend well.

Place the butter in a cold wok and turn the stove heat to high.  When the butter melts, add the scrambled eggs and quickly stir-fry with a chuan (wok spatula) until the eggs have set.  This will happen very quickly.  Remove the scrambled eggs to a nearby plate and set aside for the moment.

Add the lardons to the wok and stir-fry until the bacon is browned and becoming crispy, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the baby green peas, garlic and the whites of the green onions to the wok, and stir-fry for a few seconds.

Add the rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and the sriracha sauce.  Mix everything together in the hot bacon fat until everything is coated and heated through.

Add the scrambled eggs back into the wok, and stir well to combine.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds on at the last minute, giving the dish one final stir, and serve while the fried rice is hot and fresh.

Variation:  Substitute 6-8 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms for the green peas.  Stir-fry them in the bacon fat for 4-6 minutes until beginning to brown before proceeding with the recipe.