Gyeran Bokkeumbap is a fast and easy Korean Egg Fried Rice. The addition of quick marinated and pan fried pork belly will turn this into your new craveable bacon and eggs favorite!

Gyeran Bokkeumbapin a white bowl with kimchi and fried pork belly.

Dinner with Mom

When I was young, and it was just the two of us, my mom would make effortless Korean food for dinner. American food, with all of its ingredients and preparation time, was for when the men were home. Withhold your shock - this was the 1970's.

When it was just us girls, she would usually fry up some cold rice, add an egg, some meat, and some kimchi, and call it dinner. At the time I felt cheated out of a home cooked meal, but now I see that was exactly what she was giving to me. Filling food, prepared simply, the way she had it when she grew up.

What is Gyeran Bokkeumbap?

Gyeran is the Korean word for egg, bokkeum means to sauté or stir fry, and bap is rice. All together, that gives you egg fried rice! A common and traditional Korean dish that is quick and easy to make, and so tasty. I used to make a variation of this for my kids' lunches with pieces of smoked sausage and a drizzle of fragrant sesame oil.

My mom would usually serve my rice with cold ham, which played well with the hot rice and spicy kimchi. I decided to go a step further and serve mine with a little bit of quick marinated and stir fried samgyeopsal, or pork belly, for a bit of bacon and eggs.

Quick Korean Lesson: Samgyeopsal

SAM = three
GYEOP = layer
SAL = fat
THREE LAYER FAT: Referring to the layers of fat and meat when you slice bacon or pork belly.

Koreans don't really have foods that are only thought of as breakfast, lunch, or dinner foods. Gyeran Bokkeumbap can be eaten at any time of day and any day of the week. Me? I like mine for breakfast. Egg fried rice is the kind of dish that gets my day off to a great start! Served with tasty pork belly and spicy kimchi - this is bacon and eggs taken in a totally new direction!

What you'll love about this recipe:

KID FRIENDLY - Find me a child that doesn't like fried rice or bacon. I'll wait.
INEXPENSIVE - For the cost of a couple of cups of rice and a few eggs, you can have an amazing, filling meal that will feed a family of four. Or two really hungry people!
EASY - Even with cooking the pork belly, there is no difficult prep or complicated instructions, and it all cooks in one pan!

Ingredients in Gyeran Bokkeumbap with Pork Belly

Labeled ingredients for Gyeran Bokkeumbap.

For the Egg Fried Rice

Cooked white rice Whether you use a rice cooker, a pot on the stove, or microwaveable rice bowl - it's all good. I prefer short grain, or sushi rice for the stickiness and texture. As long as you don't use instant rice, which is just dehydrated rice, and has a broken texture. Yuck 😖. Day old rice is best because it is drier and so will better stir fry and absorb the flavors we are adding.
Eggs Plan on one egg per serving, or more if you really love eggs.
Green onion Also known as scallions, these have mild onion flavor. We are going to cook the lighter green portion and garnish with the darker green parts. You will chop all the green onions and separate into two piles - light and dark.
Soy sauce Good fried rice should taste like nicely seasoned fried rice, not just soy sauce. We use just a tablespoon, which plays very nicely with the sesame oil. With just a tablespoon of soy sauce going in, you'll want to taste your rice and adjust with salt to your liking at the end.
Sesame oil I love this fragrant oil and have been known to just open the bottle and take a whiff. I do this a lot actually 😂. It is a very potent oil, so don't freehand the pour. Measure as directed!
Sesame seeds I feel like a fried rice dish isn't finished until you add a light sprinkling of sesame seeds. A light sprinkling. Like putting on a headband - not a tiara.
Kimchi (optional) To most Koreans, no meal is complete with a bit of kimchi on the side. This spicy fermented cabbage is a staple in every Korean household and is truly best friends with rice. It's an acquired taste that you really should acquire. You can find kimchi in any Asian market. If you see it in a regular grocery store, run. Not kidding. Run to the Asian store for the real thing.
Nori (optional) These are sheets of dried seaweed, usually pre-seasoned with sesame oil and salt. They can be found at any Asian market, most grocery stores, and online. I like to break up pieces on top of my fried rice to mix in. I also love to place a small portion of rice in the middle of a sheet and pop the whole thing in my mouth. Yum!

For the Pork Belly

Pork belly This is just an accompaniment to the rice, not the main course, so we'll only cook about 3 to 4 pieces per serving. I buy the pre-sliced skinless pork belly that is cut about ¼ inch thick. Occasionally, all I can find is thicker chunks of pork belly. In this case, I freeze the meat for about 15 minutes, just to firm it up a bit, then slice it as thinly as I want it. Ultimately, what you want is 2 inch pieces of pork belly about ¼ inch thick. Or close enough.
Gochujang This is a sweet and spicy red pepper paste that you can usually find in the International aisle of you local Mega Mart. If not, it's worth a trip to an Asian market, or you can order your gochujang online.
Honey This enhances the sweetness of the gochujang and brings down the spice level just a bit.
Soy sauce and sesame oil Just a bit of these two are used in the marinade to loosen up the consistency and a bit of salty flavor.
Ginger and garlic We're not looking for big chunks of either, so use a fine grater or zester to grate these into the marinade.

What is Gochujang?

Gochujang is a deep red, spicy-sweet Korean paste made from chili peppers, glutinous (sticky) rice, and soybeans. It is usually used to flavor soups and stews, and as a base for dipping sauces and marinades. This addictive paste adds a subtle, or striking heat, depending on how much is used.

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How to make Gyeran Bokkeumbap

Gyeran Bokkeumbapin two white bowls with kimchi and fried pork belly.

Cook your rice Cook your rice according to the package or rice cooker directions. Let cool and then refrigerate at least 8 hours, or up to one day.
Marinate your pork belly In a medium bowl, Mix together your gochujang, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Add your sliced pork belly and gently massage until the pork is completely covered in the marinade. Let sit for 20 minutes.
Cook egg Whisk your eggs together and add a small pinch of salt. In a large nonstick pan, cook eggs over medium-low heat until they are set, but not completely cooked. You should still see some wet yolky parts. Set aside on a plate.

Cook pork belly In the same nonstick pan, cook the pork belly, on both sides, until it is caramelized and sizzling. Set aside on a plate and wipe out the pan with paper towel.

Cook rice, part 2 Add vegetable oil and a bit of sesame oil to the same nonstick pan, now over medium-high heat. Cook on one side until it starts to turn a light golden color and has a little bit of a crispy texture, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add flavors Scoot the rice over to one side of the pan. Add the light green portion of the green onion to the pan and sauté for a couple of minutes, just to soften them a bit.
Combine Mix the rice and green onions together and then drizzle over top with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Continue cooking the rice while evenly distributing the soy sauce and sesame oil throughout all the rice. It will be a light tan color when done. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.

Add eggs Turn heat off and add back in the eggs, breaking them up into smaller curds. The residual heat of the rice will complete the cooking without drying the eggs out. Sprinkle over top with sesame seeds and most of the dark portion of the green onions, saving some for individual garnish.

Finish Spoon egg fried rice into shallow bowls. Garnish with a little more sesame seeds and a final sprinkling of green onions. Serve with slices of pork belly, nori, and kimchi, if desired.

Storage and reheating

Cooked rice should be refrigerated within 2 hours, 1 hour if the temperature where it is being held is hotter than 90°F. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

To reheat, place desired portion of rice in a microwaveable container, sprinkle lightly with water, cover lightly, and heat for 30 seconds. Stir, and continue heating and stirring in 30 second increments until hot, or until internal temperature is 165°F.

FAQs about Gyeran Bokkeumbap

Absolutely! You can substitute any meat you like in this dish and marinate it as directed, or leave it plain. My mom served my rice with pieces of ham, leftover roast, or even vienna sausages! You can also forgo the meat altogether if you like.

If you have a gluten allergy, you can still make this dish, but with substitutions. Gochujang and soy sauce both contain some wheat products. You can substitute the gochujang with sriracha and the soy sauce with tamari. Neither one is Korean, but the flavors are close.

No, you'll be fine! If you don't have time, or you forgot to cook rice ahead of time you can start it an hour or two ahead. Cook the rice as directed on the package and then spread it out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Allow to cool and dry out on the counter for about an hour and then proceed.

You sure can! Check the labels to confirm, but almost all gochujang and soy sauces are vegan. Instead of using eggs, you can crumble and then stir-fry firm tofu. As for the garnishes, there is vegan kimchi at most Asian markets and you can substitute any pickled or seasoned veggies for the pork belly.