Kimchi and Spam Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked white rice
• 3/4 pound kimchi with juices
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided
• 1 can of Spam, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 hot red or green chili, stemmed and thinly sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and fine stems
• Kosher salt
• Fried eggs, for serving
• Hot sauce, for serving

Directions

1. If you’re starting with day-old rice, put it in a medium bowl and use your fingers to separate it into loose grains before you go any further. Set the kimchi in a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl, then squeeze out the extra liquid. Save that liquid, and chop the kimchi finely.
2. Warm 1/2 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the Spam and cook it, stirring and tossing often, until it is deeply browned and beginning to crisp. Stir in the chopped kimchi and onion, and cook, tossing and stirring regularly, until the vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Scrape everything into a bowl and set it aside.
3. Pour another 1/2 tablespoon oil into the wok. Turn the heat to high and let the oil get smoking hot. Add half of the rice and cook, tossing and stirring, until the grains are lightly browned, toasted and a little chewy, about 3 minutes. Move that batch to a medium bowl. Do the same thing again with another 1/2 tablespoon oil and the remaining rice.
4. Add all the rice back to the wok, pushing it up along the sides so there is an open spot in the center. Pour another 1/2 tablespoon oil into that space. Add the scallions, saving some for garnish, along with the garlic and chili, and cook with gentle stirring until they soften slightly and smell fragrant, about 1 minute. Toss them into the rice. Add the onion, kimchi and Spam mixture, and toss again. Pour in the reserved kimchi juice and season generously with black pepper. Add the fish sauce, sesame oil and cilantro, holding back some cilantro for garnish, then toss until everything is evenly combined. Taste and add salt if needed. Just before serving, leave the rice undisturbed in the wok for 45 seconds so the bottom can form a crisp crust. Tip the rice onto a serving platter, doing your best to keep the crispy bits facing upward. Top with fried eggs, scatter over the reserved scallions and cilantro, and serve right away with hot sauce.