Bibimbap!

I love all kinds of rice dishes, and bibimbap is no exception. Although it may not be the most adventurous choice, I'm always tempted to order it when dining at a Korean restaurant - especially if they serve dolsot bibimbap! The crispy, crusty rice along the edges of the bowl is to die for. Even without that, though, bibimbap is a fantastic cure-all for someone like me who craves just the right combination of textures. The variety of tender vegetables, a scoop of ground or finely-minced meat (optional of course), and the soft and slightly sticky rice, all mixed together with a fried egg and the magical red sauce - perfection! 

This was, however, my first attempt making it for myself! I read through a handful of the great bibimbap recipes/guides that are available online to get a handle on the basics. 

I prepared all of the vegetable sides the day before. First, I chopped up a bunch of green onions since I wanted to mix them in with some of the vegetables as well as use it as a topping.

For the carrots and mushrooms, I stir-fried them in a little cooking oil, seasoning just with salt and pepper. (I bought pre-shredded carrots for convenience.) I added a tiny bit of sesame oil as they finished cooking.

For the spinach, I chopped the bunch into thirds and blanched it. Once drained, I mixed it with a bit of garlic paste, sesame oil, salt, and toasted sesame seeds. (As a side note, I bought a jar of garlic paste for the first time instead of minced garlic and I am in love. I am completely obsessed with how seamlessly it blends into dishes and sauces, packing a strong punch of garlic flavor without the texture of the tiny cubes of minced garlic that sometimes bothers me. You can of course mince or crush garlic yourself for any of these components!)

The cucumber was left raw - I cut it in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced half-moon-shapes. Then, I mixed in some salt and let it sit for about 15 minutes before draining the liquid. To finish, I tossed the cucumber slices with some green onion, garlic paste, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds.

Flavor-wise, there is definitely a garlic/sesame theme going on here!

I had some ground turkey on hand, so I also marinated it the day before. I used the recipe below, but of course these seasonings are highly flexible:

For the marinade:

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp rice wine

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp garlic paste

1 pinch black pepper

1 pinch garlic powder

The day of, my remaining tasks were to start the rice cooker, cook down the ground turkey, fry some eggs, and make the sauce. (Of course, the sauce would also be great made ahead of time - the flavors would probably have the chance to meld together more!) You can probably see with the number of steps why I split things into two days...

Bibimbap sauce:

2 tbsp gochujang

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tsp vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1 tsp garlic paste

This sauce is also officially the most addicting thing I have ever made. I started putting it on everything - for instance, with eggs and avocado at breakfast. Instantly go from plain to amazing!

To serve up, scoop your desired amount of rice, then start heaping on your vegetables and/or meat as desired. (This was the part I probably enjoyed the most about making it at home... getting to customize what I wanted exactly!) Top with a fried egg and garnish with bibimbap sauce and green onions to your preference :)

Overall, making bibimbap took quite a while for me. There was nothing particularly difficult about any of the steps, but planning ahead was definitely necessary. I learned in reading about it that often bibimbap is made using leftovers, which would definitely make things move much more quickly. Still, I was amazed at how completely delicious it was, and am already planning to make it again! (Or if pressed for time, maybe at least the sauce...)

Hope you give it a shot, and enjoy!