Ingredients

• 6 to 8 slices thick-cut bacon
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 3 nori sheets (dried seaweed)
• 3 cups Kimchi, recipe follows
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups cooked medium-grain white rice, chilled
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Toast the sesame seeds in a large skillet over medium heat until golden, shaking the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Cut the nori sheets in half with shears, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips.
3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and stir-fry until almost cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the kimchi, reserving the liquid. Raise the heat to high and stir-fry the kimchi until browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the rice, the reserved kimchi liquid, the sesame oil and half of the nori strips. Continue to cook, turning and flattening the rice mixture with a spatula until it starts to form a golden crust, about 8 minutes. (For more of a crust, remove the pan from the heat, cover and set aside 10 minutes.)
4. Transfer the fried rice to a serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining nori strips and the toasted sesame seeds.
5. Make this spicy Korean condiment, then turn it into fried rice or serve it with your steak: Pulse 3 chopped red jalapenos, 4 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons each fish sauce and salt in a food processor. Cut 1/2 head napa cabbage and 6 scallions into 2-inch pieces; toss with the jalapeno paste. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
6. Photograph by Tina Rupp