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.

Kimchi Rice

I had less than a cup of leftover rice from the night before and I also went to Korean market a few days ago and bought a tub of kimchi...so I experimented...this is somewhat of a leftover meal. Doesn't look too pretty, but was pretty good. Kev didn't have this. I made him soup noodles with dumplings and stuffed tofu. Kev is not a fan of Kimchi. I love it.

1/2 cup of rice, cooked

1 egg

2 mushrooms, chopped

some kind of meat, chopped/sliced/minced/whatever you like (I used an odd jerk meat my parents gave me)

Kimchi, cut into small pieces

2 tsp Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste or sauce)

1. If using leftover rice, add a bit of water on medium-high heat to soften the dried leftover rice. Disregard if making fresh rice. Once rice is hot, crack an egg on top and stir. This will look like gruel.


2. Add mushrooms and meat, mix.
3. Add cut kimchi and the sauce, mix.
4. Add Gochujang.

Although I only had 1/2 a cup of rice, it was a pretty big bowl of rice with all the additives. I'd make this again if I have leftover rice. It was yummy. I had a bit of trouble finding the Gochujang because the word "Gochujang" was written so tiny and the packaging is covered in Korea. But It's a good thing I asked the cashier. He showed me whole shelf of different brands. Some came in a square plastic box, others in bottles. I asked what the difference was and he said the boxes were paste and need other ingredients to make it taste better (vinegar, sugar...), but the bottles were sauces and ready-to-eat. I, of course, grabbed the one that needed less work. lol