How to make Korean Bibimbap?

       The colorful ingredients please the eyes while the savory smell of sesame oil tickles the nose once the vegetables are mixed with rice. Each bite provides a mouthful of bursting flavors of the sauce and the vegetables. The dish also provides the option of cooling it off before eating or having it served in a hot dish to maintain the high temperature. You may have seen a photo of bibimbap carefully prepared on a golden yugi (Korean brassware) or the heavy-duty dolsot (stone pot). Considering these characteristics unique to bibimbap, one can easily see that it is a thoroughly prepared meal that will not only aid your health but also heal your mind.

Types

1. Jeonju Bibimbap

Jeonju bibimbap is uniquely prepared with an assortment of colors of namul (vegetable side dishes), and is regarded as the most representative example of bibimbap. Fried beef and thin garnish strips of cooked egg whites and yolks can be a good alternative to yukhoe (beef tartare) and egg yolk. The broth from a beef brisket is used to cook the rice, and is garnished with the tartare and egg pair on top, a signature feature of Jeonju bibimbap. It tastes even better with hot pepper paste mixed in with fried beef called yak-gochu-jang, the specialty of Jeonju, as well as bean sprout soup or beef radish soup.

2. Andong Bibimbap

Heot-jesatbap is a combination of the words of hoet, meaning “fake,” and jesabap, referring to the meal that was served during ancestral rites. Confucian scholars in Andong, Jinju, and Deagu used to have this jesabap even when there was no ritual service, which is how its name became heot-jesatbap, inferring that it was a “fake” ritual meal. Andong is best known for its scrumptious heot-jesatbap, which is typically made with namul, jeon (coated and pan-fried fish and vegetables) and guk (soup) from the table for ritual services.

Usually three different colors of namul are served on the top of the rice. Since jesabap is served in remembrance of one’s ancestors, the main spices of Korean cuisine, such as spring onion, garlic and red pepper powder, are not used. Also, the ritual dish is served with a variety of jeon and sanjeok (skewers) made with dombaegi (“shark meat” in the local language), mackerel, and beef. Unlike other bibimbap traditions, diners may adjust the flavor of individual servings by adding soy sauce, sesame oil and its seeds, instead of red pepper paste. It tastes even better with tang-guk (beef and radish soup), a soup flavored with dried sea cucumber, octopus, seaweed, and sliced radish, all of which are diced into pieces and thrown into a clear broth.

3. Tongyeong Bibimbap

Tongyeong, a coastal community, has an abundance of fresh seafood, making it the best feature of Tongyeong bibimbap. Namul and vegetables are served on steamed rice and then mixed with shrimp, clams, and mussels blanched in boiling water and seasoned with sauce. If this process is too cumbersome for you, you can throw all the namul and vegetables in a pan and fry them in a rich seafood broth. This dish goes perfectly with clams and tofu soup. Tongyeong is also known for sea squirt bibimbap.

4. Jinju Bibimbap

Jinju bibimbap is a unique local food of Jinju in Gyeongsangnam-do. It is served with vegetables including cooked fern brakes and bean sprouts on top of steamed rice. Then, minced beef and jang guk (clear soybean soup) is mixed in a bowl and served after being garnished with cheongpo (mung bean jelly), yukhoe (beef tartare), and red pepper sauce. Yukhoe is the symbol of Jinju bibimbap, but the cooked beef version is also served. Yukhoe-bibimbap can be commonly found on the menu of restaurants in Jinju, which trace back to the 1920s when Seoul and Jinju emerged as active markets in the cattle trade.

5. Bibimbap in the sky

Bibimbap, being Korea’s representative food, played a huge role in making Korean cuisine famous worldwide. One of the best examples of when bibimbap crossed cultural boundaries was when the late singer Michael Jackson, according to media reports, enjoyed bibimbap meal after meal during his stay in Korea after trying the dish as an in-flight meal during the flight.

Domestic and foreign airlines offer bibimbap with steamed rice, finely presented namul and spicy red pepper paste. Passengers can enjoy all the fun of mixing their ingredients together. The mildly spicy red pepper paste is also available to suit the taste of those not accustomed to it.

Make it at home

1 lb prepared bulgoli or cooked, seasoned ribeye, sirloin, or skirt, thinly sliced

Stir-fry oil or vegetable oil...for stir-frying all the ingredients as you go.

4 garlic cloves minced

2 cups bean sprouts

4 tbsp soy sauce divided

2 tbsp sesame oil divided

1 cup julienne carrot or shredded

1 zucchini seeded, cut into 1-inch sticks

12 oz fresh spinach

8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms sliced

4 eggs

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

THE RICE

2 cups short-grain white race

2 cups of water

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp salt

THE KOREAN SAUCE

2 tbsp gochujang

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp water

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp garlic minced

Instructions

Prepare the bulgoli, or stir fry beef with salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp each soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.

Cook the bean sprouts in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, Place in a separate bowl and add 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix. Set aside.

Stir-fry the carrots in a little oil for about 4 minutes. Set aside. Lightly salt.

Stir-fry the zucchini in a little oil for about 4 minutes. Set aside. Lightly salt.

Stir-fry the spinach with a teaspoon of water until wilted and water has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Place in a separate bowl. Add 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix. Set aside.

Stir-fry the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, until reduced and lightly browned, about 6 - 8 minutes.

Cook 4 eggs, sunnyside up, add salt and pepper, set aside.

PREPARE THE RICE

Bring rice, water, vinegar, and salt to boil in medium saucepan over high heat.

Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until liquid has been absorbed, 7 - 9 minutes.

Remove rice from heat and let sit, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes.

(Cook time will be longer, approx. 25 minutes, if using long grain rice).

PREPARE THE KOREAN SAUCE

Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.

ASSEMBLE THE DISH

Portion out rice into 4 bowls.

Arrange toppings in a circular fashion.

Top each with egg and then toasted sesame seeds.

Garnish with sauce.