Korean Bibimbap 101

We're back, peoples.

I understand that you've been upset while enduring our summer hiatus. Unfortunately, we don't have the mental and financial stability to do this full time...yet. Our "comeback" post should please you very much, and it will also contain many awkward phrases so it seem like authentic Korean make recipe.

For those of you that don't get out much, bibimbap is a traditional Korean dish with a collection of sautéed veggies, side items, sliced or ground meat, and a fried or raw egg organized so beautifully on top of a bed of rice. I forced a good Korean friend of mine (and amazing pianist) into forcing her mom into teaching me how to make this. So it comes from the source. If the presentation alone doesn't have people getting their camera phones out, then the flavors will.

Ingredients:

1 medium carrot, julienned
1 small white onion, sliced
1 zucchini, julienned
2 cups bean sprouts
1 medium bunch fresh spinach
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 eggs
8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup dark sesame oil
olive oil (about 1/2 cup)
4-6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 lb. ground beef
1/4 lb ground pork
2 cups rice (uncooked)
salt and pepper
Korean Hot Pepper Paste (Find this at a korean grocery store or google it. It's amazing and extremely necessary.)

Optional Sides:
Fresh Local Kimchi
Julienned Cucumbers
Tofu, diced or sautéed


Put some water on to boil for the spinach and bean sprouts and get to chopping all them veggies.

Start sautéing the veggies one batch at a time starting with the lightest colored veggies and going to the darkest (i.e. start with onions). Color matters in this dish and this is how you don't mess it up. Cook each vegetable until tender but still having a little bite - taste as you go. If you want to sauté two veggies at a time use two sauté pans...duh. As your veggies get done, put them in separate bowls and add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sesame oil to each.

Somewhere in the mix, you can boil the spinach and bean sprouts (separately). The spinach will only need about a minute to boil, and the sprouts can do about twice that.

Cook your rice according to the instructions on the package or rice cooker.

In a medium-size bowl, add beef, pork, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, garlic, and a large pinch of salt. Get your hands dirty and mix. But don't over mix it. After your veggies are done, cook the beef/pork mixture.

The last of the cooking is your eggs. Put your sauté pans on medium heat, add some olive oil, and cook eggs separately until you don't see any more translucent egg white, but the yolk is still glossy and runny.

Now to present: each bowl needs a hefty amount of rice. Arrange the veggies around the outside of the bowl so that colors compliment each other. Put the ground meat mixture in the middle. Add your fried egg on top. Ponder how grateful you are for all the things you have, the people you're eating this with, and the amazing-ness of food. Then, add a dollop of korean hot pepper paste to the top and mix it all together.