Bibimbap

I had my first Bibimbap not too long ago. It's kind of silly, but the first time i ever heard of it was at a Korean fast food counter in downtown called Kimchi. I was meeting my friend Wynn for lunch and she told me that Bibimbap was very good. So I tried it. Like most Korean dishes, I loved it. Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means "stirred/mixed rice". Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with sautéed and seasoned vegetables and gochujang (Korean red pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot. We ate our lukewarm.

Bean Sprouts, blanched or stir-fried in sesame oil

cucumber, julienned and tossed in seseame oil

carrots, julienned, blanched or stir-fried in sesame oil

Spinach, stir-fried in sesame oil

1 egg

white rice

gochujang sauce

Beef bulgogi

1. Cook rice as directed. Prepare hard boiled egg
2. Blanch or stir-fry in sesame oil the carrots, bean sprouts, and spinach.
3. Toss cucumber in sesame oil.
4. Place each vegetable in their own corner over rice.
5. Cook beef, and place on a corner of bowl
6. Remove shell from hard-boiled egg, cut in half and place in the middle of the bowl of rice.
7. Mix with Gochujang sauce.

This dish required a bit of preparation. Cook time took no time at all. The part I hated most was to julienne the carrots. Is there a shortcut way to do this? I hate it. I ate my bibimbap with a side of Kimchi. Since I know Kev might not like the spiciness of gochujang, I simply boiled the reserved marinade from the beef and added a dash of sesame oil. I think he liked it. When he saw what I had made for Sunday lunch, he just said "ohhh...Fancy!" I'd make this again. It's a great way to get rid of leftovers, especially veggies that are only a day or two away from going bad.