[Holly’s Korean Kitchen] Bibimbap, Korean rice bowl with beef and vegetables

Classic bibimbap, made with an array of vegetables, beef, and the savory bibimbap sauce, represents the best of Korean food. The colorful display of vegetables makes this world-famous Korean mixed rice dish a wholesome and healthy meal.

This bibimbap recipe can become vegetarian or vegan if you omit the beef and egg.

Once you have had a bibimbap experience, you’ll be hooked. And you can totally make a scrumptious Korean bibimbap at home with this easy bibimbap recipe. The recipe serves 6, but you can easily feed a crowd by increasing the amount of each ingredient.

Ingredients

For bibimbap sauce

- 4 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)

- 1 tbsp Korean plum extract (maesil cheong)

- 2 tbsp corn syrup, or 1 tbsp sugar

- 1 tbsp sesame oil

- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

For bibimbap

- 6 cups freshly cooked white rice

- 6 eggs

- 450 grams ground beef bulgogi

For bibimbap vegetables

- 450 grams soybean sprouts

- 450 grams Korean radish, sliced into thin matchsticks

- 2 small zucchini, sliced

- 1 bunch watercress, sliced

- 180 grams shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

- 2 carrots, sliced into thin matchsticks

For vegetable seasonings

- 3 tbsp minced garlic

- 2 tbsp Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang)

- 2-3 tsp salt, to season

- 2 tbsp sesame oil

- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

- 1 green onion, finely chopped

Instructions

For the bibimbap sauce

1. To make the bibimbap sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl

and mix well; set aside.

For the bibimbap vegetables

1. For the soybean sprouts, blanch them and drain. Season with a mixture of 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 2 teaspoons Korean soup soy sauce, pinch salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, and 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions. Toss well.

2. For the radish, slice into thin matchsticks. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and a

cook for 30 seconds. Add radish slices and a couple pinches of salt, and toss well. Cover with a lid and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Drizzle 2 teaspoon of sesame oil. Taste and add more salt if needed.

3. For zucchini, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons garlic, zucchini slices, and salt. Stir fry until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons sesame oil and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Toss well.

4. For watercress, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and watercress; stir fry for 1 minute. Drizzle 2 teaspoon Korean soup soy sauce and cook until wilted.

5. For mushrooms, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the 2 teaspoons minced garlic and the mushrooms; stir fry for 1 minute. Drizzle 2 teaspoon Korean soup soy sauce and cook until soft. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds at the end and toss.

6. For carrots, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add carrot and salt and toss together for 30 seconds. Pour in 2 tablespoons water to create steam and cover with a lid immediately. Cook for 1-2 minutes until soft. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds at the end

and toss.

7. For eggs, heat oil in a skillet and fry eggs to sunny-side up.

Assembling bibimbap

1. Put the desired amount of rice in the bottom of a large serving bowl.

2. Arrange the vegetables on top of the rice in alternating colors for a good visual presentation. Put the meat in the center and a sunny-side up egg on top.

3. You can either drizzle the bibimbap sauce (about 2 tablespoon) directly over the rice bowl, or you can put the sauce in a small sauce bowl on the side next to the bibimbap so that your guests can add the sauce directly to the bowl.

By Holly Ford (https://www.beyondkimchee.com)

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Hye-gyoung Ford (aka Holly) is a well-known Korean food blogger and the author of “Korean Cooking Favorites.” Born and raised in Korea, she has lived in many countries. She shares her recipes and food memories in her blog, Beyond Kimchee. - Ed.

By Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)