Making Bibimbap (비빔밥) / Korean Mixed Rice

I like my rice cold. I’ve always thought that since the rice is less glutinous, the individual grains [more] readily mixes and infiltrates into side dishes therefore maximizing flavour into every bite. Unfortunately, living in an Indonesian household means that there is always freshly steamed (thanks to the R2D2-looking electric rice cooker) at your disposal; which is why I always resort to sticking a bowl of fluffy rice inside the fridge for a couple of minutes if I wanted to have some.

Now the rice in this recipe is no exception. There are many banchans (반찬) to choose from to top your rice with and the imagination really is the limit, but a fellow tumblogger said this:

mymindismypantry said:

do bokkeum potatos and carrots with mushrooms and egg but semi running and all you need is soy sause an sesame oil….drool

and so I will include a recipe for that below. There are no speciality-store ingredient for the banchans (except maybe the Gochujang) used in this post; all found in your local supermarket or even a staple in your fridge, as mentioned by Cho Kyu Hyun & Kim Ryeo Wook.

You can serve the bibimbap in regular bowls or heated stone bowls, for those who prefers a little zing. The Koreans eat their rice with this small spoon with a long, tapered handle - someday I’m going to get my hands on such spoons to help me eat slower (and maybe smaller portions? Maybe not). In the meantime I’ll settle with shovelling this delicious dish into the pie hole with a regular-sized spoon.

Side note: This will also join the Hansik series. I know I’ve made Kongnamul Bap (콩나물밥) / Korean Beansprout Rice as an approximation to this dish because I didn’t have the gochujang (red pepper paste) before, but why approximate when you can now make the real thing?

Other Hansik Series (8 members down, 2 more to go) :

Choi SiWon’s Pajeon (Scallion Pancakes)

Lee (EunHyuk) HyukJae’s Japchae (Glass Noodles with Beef & Vegetables)

Kim (YehSung) JongWoon’s Dak Kang Jung (Crispy Chicken with Sweet & Spicy Sauce)

Kim RyeoWook & Cho KyuHyun’s previous approximation to Bibimpab; Kongnamul Bap(Beansprout Rice)

Lee SungMin’s Baechu Kimchi (Whole Spicy Pickled Cabbage)

Park Jung Soo (Leeteuk)’s Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes)

and the one used in this recipe: Kim Hee Chul’s Bulgogi

Let’s make some 반찬 !

BANCHANS (반찬) / SIDE DISHES:

[ A bunch of spinach + 1 small carrot + 1 small cucumber + a handful of bean sprouts + 1 small onion + 1 small potato + 1 green chili + 1/2 cup of mushrooms + 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil + 2 garlic cloves, minced + 1 small piece of ginger, minced + 1 tablespoon sesame oil + 1 teaspoon sesame seeds + 1 meat side dish like bulgogi ]

To make GamJa YaChae BokkEum (감자 야채 볶음) / Bokkeum Potatoes:

Peel andcut the potato, onion and half of the carrot into thin matchsticks. Soak the potato matchsticks in a cup of cold water for about 10 minutes to remove some of the starch.
Remove the seeds from the hot pepper.
After 10 minutes, rinse the potato twice, and drain the water.
Pour 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in a heated nonstick pan. Add the potato and fry for about 5 minutes on medium, or until the potatoes are half-cooked. Then add the carrot and onion to the pan.
Add the chopped hot pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic. Fry for 3 minutes on medium-high.
Turn off the heat and sprinkle ½ tsp of sesame seeds on top.

For other vegetables:

Spinach:
Cucumber: Cut into thin slices. Set aside.
Bean Sprouts: Blanch and set aside.
Carrots: Cut into matchsticks. Heat 1/4 teaspoon of oil in non-stick frying pan. Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic and some minced ginger and then add in the carrots. Fry for a few minutes and season with salt. Add in a splash of sesame oil in the end. Set aside.
Mushrooms:Slice the mushrooms. Heat 1/4 teaspoon of oil in non-stick frying pan. Add 1/4 teaspoon of minced garlic then add in the mushrooms. Fry for a few minutes and season with salt. Set aside.

After all that hard, hard work is done, you can now proceed with making some bibimbap sauce:

BIBIMBAP SAUCE:

[ 2-3 tablespoon red pepper paste + 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar + 1 teaspoon sugar + 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds + 1 teaspoon sesame oil + 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic ]

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.

ASSEMBLY:

[ Vegetable and meat banchans + a bowl of rice + 1-2 teaspoon of bibimbap sauce per person + 1 egg, left raw if you’re using a stone bowl or cooked to your liking ] OPTIONAL: Toasted sesame seeds + Dried seaweed strips/flakes.

In a bowl, arrange meat and vegetables over steaming, hot rice.

Top with egg of your choice. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and top with dried seaweed strips, if you like.

Drizzle with bibimbap sauce and, most importantly, mix thoroughly before taking a bite.

BANCHANS (반찬) / SIDE DISHES:

To make GamJa YaChae BokkEum (감자 야채 볶음) / Bokkeum Potatoes:

Peel andcut the potato, onion and half of the carrot into thin matchsticks. Soak the potato matchsticks in a cup of cold water for about 10 minutes to remove some of the starch.

Remove the seeds from the hot pepper.

After 10 minutes, rinse the potato twice, and drain the water.

Pour 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in a heated nonstick pan. Add the potato and fry for about 5 minutes on medium, or until the potatoes are half-cooked. Then add the carrot and onion to the pan.

Add the chopped hot pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic. Fry for 3 minutes on medium-high.

Turn off the heat and sprinkle ½ tsp of sesame seeds on top.

For other vegetables:

Spinach: Steam the spinach and then squeeze the water out of it. Give it a rough chop and sautee with some oil and season with salt. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Set aside.

Cucumber: Cut into thin slices. Set aside.

Bean Sprouts: Blanch and set aside.

Carrots: Cut half of the carrots into matchsticks. Heat 1/4 teaspoon of oil in non-stick frying pan. Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic and some minced ginger and then add in the carrots. Fry for a few minutes and season with salt. Add in a splash of sesame oil in the end. Set aside.

Mushrooms: Slice the mushrooms. Heat 1/4 teaspoon of oil in non-stick frying pan. Add 1/4 teaspoon of minced garlic then add in the mushrooms. Fry for a few minutes and season with salt. Set aside.

BIBIMBAP SAUCE:

[ 2-3 tablespoon red pepper paste + 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar + 1 teaspoon sugar + 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds + 1 teaspoon sesame oil + 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic ]

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.

ASSEMBLY:

[ Vegetable and meat banchans + a bowl of rice + 1-2 teaspoon of bibimbap sauce per person + 1 egg, left raw or cooked to your liking ]

In a bowl, arrange meat and vegetables over steaming, hot rice.

Top with egg of your choice. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and top with dried seaweed strips, if you like. Drizzle with bibimbap sauce and, most importantly, mix thoroughly before taking a bite.