Pumpkins are available all year round, but it seems especially appropriate to eat them in autumn. Butternut pumpkin is used here, but any flavoursome pumpkin will do. Do your best to dice it as finely as you can to ensure quick cooking. If vegetarian or vegan, ensure your kimchi is free of fish-sauce. For added protein, serve topped with a fried egg or tofu. This recipe can easily be doubled to feed more.
Serves 2
1½ tbsp coconut, olive or peanut oil
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup pumpkin, finely diced
2 cups cold cooked jasmine rice (leftover rice is perfect)
½ cup kimchi, roughly chopped
2 tsp soy sauce (gluten free, if needed)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
fine salt and ground white pepper
Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add finely diced pumpkin and cook, stirring often, for 3–4 minutes, until starting to colour and just tender (this time could vary if your dice is a little on the large side). Add the white parts of the spring onion and chopped garlic and cook for a further minute before adding the cold rice. Cook, stirring often until warmed through and the grains have separated. Add kimchi, stir well and remove from the heat.
Stir through soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and half the sliced green spring onion tops. Season with salt and ground white pepper, to taste and serve immediately, topped with remaining sliced green spring onion tops.
Recipe and images by Emma Galloway
Used with permission from Nourish magazine
