Fried rice is not something that leaps to many people’s minds when one says “health food”. But it can be! Today’s recipe is great for many aspects of health, but especially the gut, because of its star ingredient, the kimchi—as well as the fiber in the rest of the dish, which is mostly a variety of vegetables, as well as the rice, which we are assuming you got wholegrain. An optional egg per person adds more healthy fats too!

You will need

• Avocado oil, for frying. We picked avocado oil for its healthy fats profile, neutral taste, and high smoke point (we’ll be working at very high temperatures today that might make olive oil or coconut oil smoke). We also recommend against seed oils (e.g. sunflower or canola) for health reasons.
• 1lb cooked and cooled rice—here’s our recipe for Tasty Versatile Rice if you don’t have leftovers you want to use
• 7oz kimchi, roughly chopped
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 4oz white cabbage, finely shredded
• 3oz frozen peas, defrosted
• 1 bulb garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, grated
• ½ red pepper, finely diced
• 2 tbsp chili oil (or 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 red chili, very finely chopped) ← don’t worry about the smoke point of this; it’s going to be for drizzling
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp black pepper, coarse ground
• Optional: 1 egg per person
• Note: we didn’t forget to include salt; there’s simply enough already in the dish because of the kimchi and soy sauce.

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Lightly oil a wok (or similar) and crank up the heat as high as your stove can muster. Add the garlic and spring onions; keep them moving. When they’re turning golden, add the cabbage, carrot, and red pepper. Add them one by one, giving the wok a chance to get back to temperature each time before adding the next ingredient.

2) When the vegetables are beginning to caramelize (if the temperature is good, this should only be a couple of minutes at most), add the rice, as well as the kimchi, peas, soy sauce, and black pepper. Toss everything ensure it’s all well-combined and evenly cooked. When it’s done (probably only another minute or two), take it off the heat.

3) Optional: if you’re adding eggs, fry them now. Serve a bowl of kimchi-fried rice per person, adding 1 fried egg on top of each.

4) Drizzle the chili oil as a colorful, tasty garnish that’s full of healthful polyphenols too.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Making Friends With Your Gut (You Can Thank Us Later)
• The Many Health Benefits Of Garlic
• Black Pepper’s Impressive Anti-Cancer Arsenal (And More)
• Tasty Polyphenols ← this is about how foods that are pungent, bitter, spicy, etc tend to have the highest polyphenol contents
• Eggs: All Things In Moderation?

Take care!

‘Tis the season to make the chutney that will then be aged chutney when you want it later! And unlike supermarket varieties with their ingredients list that goes “Sugar, spirit vinegar, inverted glucose-fructose syrup,” this one has an array of health-giving fruits and nuts (just omit the nuts if you or someone you may want to give this to has an allergy), and really nothing bad in here at all. And of course, tasty healthful spices!

You will need

• 2 red onions, chopped
• 1½ cups dried apricots, chopped
• 1½ cups dried figs, chopped
• 1 cup raisins
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• ½ lime, chopped and deseeded
• ¼ bulb garlic, chopped
• 1 hot pepper, chopped (your choice what kind; omit if you don’t like heat at all; multiply if you want more heat)
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (omit for a less sweet chutney; there is sweetness in the dried fruits already, after all)
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp sweet cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ½ MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Heat some oil in a heavy-based pan that will be large enough for all ingredients to go into eventually. Fry the onions on a gentle heat for around 15 minutes. We don’t need to caramelize them yet (this will happen with time), but we do want them soft and sweet already.

2) Add the ginger, garlic, and chili, and stir in well.

3) When the onions start to brown, add the fruit and stir well to mix thoroughly.

4) Add the honey or maple syrup (if using), and the vinegar; add the remaining spices/seasonings, so everything is in there now except the almonds.

5) Cook gently for another 30 minutes while stirring. At some point it’ll become thick and sticky; add a little water as necessary. You don’t want to drown it, but you do want it to stay moist. It’ll probably take only a few tablespoons of added water in total, but add them one at a time and stir in before judging whether more is needed. By the end of the 30 minutes, it should be more solid, to the point it can stand up by itself.

6) Add the almonds, stir to combine, and leave to cool. Put it in jars until you need it (or perhaps give it as gifts).

Alternative method: if you don’t want to be standing at a stove stirring for about an hour in total, you can use a slow cooker / crock pot instead. Put the same ingredients in the same order, but don’t stir them, just leave them in layers (this is because of the pattern of heat distribution; it’ll be hotter at the bottom, so the things that need to be more cooked should be there, and the design means they won’t burn) for about two hours, then stir well to mix thoroughly, and leave it for another hour or two, before turning it off to let it cool. Put it in jars until you need it (or perhaps give it as gifts).

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Top 8 Fruits That Prevent & Kill Cancer ← figs and apricots appear here
• Apricots vs Peaches – Which is Healthier? ← have a guess
• Almonds vs Walnuts – Which is Healthier? ← almonds won, but walnuts were close and would also work in this recipe
• Pistachios vs Almonds – Which is Healthier? ← almonds won, but pistachios were close and would also work in this recipe
• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits? ← we scored 4/5 today!

Take care!