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Korean Tuna Mayo Fried Rice
Cold day-old rice is stir-fried with kimchi-free, savory-sweet aromatics, flaked canned tuna, and a swirl of creamy mayonnaise, then finished with toasted gim and sesame seeds. It's a fast, comforting weeknight skillet meal inspired by Korean tuna mayo rice bowls.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Makes
- 2 generous servings (about 5 cups / 800 g fried rice)
Steps
Before you start
- Use cold, day-old cooked rice (or rice cooked 2 hours ahead and spread on a tray in the fridge). Fresh warm rice turns mushy.
- Drain the tuna very well, pressing out all the oil or water, or the rice will steam instead of fry.
- Have every ingredient chopped and measured before turning on the heat; the cooking goes quickly.
- Break up any clumps in the cold rice with your hands before cooking.
Mix the sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, gochujang (if using), sugar, and toasted sesame oil until the sugar and gochujang dissolve.
- Break up the cold rice with your hands so no clumps remain, and flake the well-drained tuna with a fork.
- Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.
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Ready when: Sauce looks smooth with no sugar granules; rice grains separate freely.
Tip: Squeeze the tuna in a sieve or against the can lid; excess liquid is the main cause of soggy fried rice.
Prep the aromatics
- Mince the garlic, thinly slice the scallions keeping whites and greens in separate piles, and finely dice the carrot into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces.
- Cut the gim into thin strips with kitchen scissors.
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Ready when: Everything is chopped and within arm's reach of the stove.
Soften carrot and aromatics
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the neutral oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 1 minute.
- Add the carrot and scallion whites and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
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Ready when: Carrot is slightly softened and bright, and the garlic smells fragrant but is not browned.
Tip: If the garlic darkens quickly, lower the heat; burnt garlic turns bitter.
Scramble the eggs
- Push the vegetables to one side of the pan.
- Pour the beaten eggs into the empty space and let them set for 10 seconds, then scramble gently with the spatula into small curds, about 45 seconds total.
- Stir the eggs into the vegetables.
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Ready when: Eggs are set and no longer wet or glossy, in small pieces.
Warm the tuna
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the flaked tuna.
- Stir-fry for 1½ to 2 minutes, pressing the tuna against the pan so any remaining moisture evaporates and the edges turn lightly golden.
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Ready when: Tuna looks dry and slightly toasted at the edges, with no liquid pooling in the pan.
Fry the rice
- Add the cold rice and spread it across the pan.
- Let it sit for 30 seconds, then toss and press with the spatula.
- Continue for 3 to 4 minutes until the rice is steaming hot and the grains look separate and dry.
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Ready when: Grains bounce and separate, a few start to crisp, and the rice is hot all the way through.
Tip: Don't overcrowd the pan; if your skillet is smaller than 12 inches, fry in two batches.
Season and add mayo
- Pour the sauce around the edges of the pan so it sizzles, then toss to coat evenly, about 1 minute.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in 2 tablespoons of the mayonnaise until the rice looks creamy and evenly coated.
- Taste and add salt if needed.
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Ready when: Rice is evenly tinted light brown with no pale patches and no visible streaks of mayonnaise.
Tip: Add the mayo off high heat so it doesn't separate and turn oily.
Finish and serve
- Turn off the heat.
- Fold in the scallion greens and half of the gim strips.
- Divide between two bowls, drizzle each with ½ tablespoon of the remaining mayonnaise, and top with the remaining gim and the sesame seeds.
- Serve immediately.
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Ready when: Gim is fragrant and still crisp on top; the rice is hot and glossy.
Tip: Add gim at the last moment so it stays crisp rather than going soggy.
Good to know
Tips
- Cold, dry rice is the key to separate, slightly crisp grains; if you only have fresh rice, spread it on a tray and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Press the rice against the pan for a few seconds at a time to get toasty bits (nurungji-style) without burning.
- Oil-packed tuna adds more flavor; if using it, drain thoroughly and you may reduce the added oil by 1 teaspoon.
- Top with a fried sunny-side-up egg for an extra-rich bowl.
Make ahead
"Cook the rice up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it uncovered or loosely covered. Chop the aromatics and mix the sauce up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate separately."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: airtight container up to 2 days (cool rice quickly). Freezer: up to 1 month, without the gim and drizzled mayo. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with 1 teaspoon of oil for 3 to 4 minutes, or microwave covered for 1½ to 2 minutes, stirring halfway, until steaming hot throughout. Add fresh gim before serving."
Substitutions
- cooked short- or medium-grain white rice → cooked jasmine rice. Works well if cold and dry; avoid long-grain basmati, which is less sticky and cohesive.
- gochujang → ½ teaspoon gochugaru or a squeeze of sriracha. Gives similar heat; omit entirely for a mild version.
- mayonnaise (Kewpie or regular) → Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise. Richer and tangier from egg yolks and rice vinegar; reduce added sugar slightly if desired.
- roasted gim (seaweed snack sheets or sushi nori) → furikake or seasoned gim flakes. Use about 1 tablespoon; reduce the soy sauce slightly as furikake is salty.