Bibimbap is one of my favourite traditional Korean dishes and is comprised of rice, a mixture of
veg, an egg, and meat with Gochujang stirred through it whilst it's at the table. It's so colourful and full of flavour, I would highly recommend it on a dull Autumn day.
Bibimbap is traditionally served in a hot stone bowl called a
dolsot. You heat the
underside so the rice gets browned and crispy. Delicious! If you don't have a dish or pot you can put on direct heat you can stir fry the rice a little before assembling this plate so you still get some of the texture.
The recipe below is my take on the dish. If you're looking for some authentic recipes I highly recommend taking a look at Lia's blog. I get my supplies of Korean ingredients from Mama Halla & The Korean Pantry.
Marinated beef
300g beef sirloin, very thinly sliced
2½ tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp roasted sesame seed oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 spring onions, very finely chopped
½ tsp ground black pepper
400g short-grain white rice
Toppings
150g carrots, cut into very thin strips
300g courgette, quartered lengthways and thinly sliced
150g bean sprouts
200g mushrooms, sliced
300g spinach
4 eggs
roasted sesame seed oil, to season
soy sauce, to season
sunflower or vegetable oil, to fry
toasted sesame seeds, to serve
Gochujang sauce
3 tbsp gochujang chilli paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp roasted sesame seed oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp maple syrup
Method
In a bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, mix together the ingredients for the beef marinade, add the sliced beef, cover and set aside for around 30–60 minutes.
Cook the rice and keep warm. Meanwhile, fill a large pan with water and bring it to the boil. One by one, blanch the carrots and courgette for 1 minute and the bean sprouts for 2½ minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and drain fully. Season each vegetable with ½ a teaspoon of roasted sesame seed oil and soy sauce, keeping the vegetables separate at all times.
Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a pan. Add in the mushrooms and stir-fry over a high heat for 4–5 minutes until softened. Remove from the pan and season with ½ a teaspoon of roasted sesame seed oil and soy sauce. In the same pan, add in the spinach and sprinkle over 2 teaspoons of water. Fry over a high heat for a few minutes, stirring all the time, until the spinach has wilted. Remove the spinach, squeeze out any excess water and season as before with the roasted sesame seed oil and soy sauce.
In the same pan, add the marinated beef. Stir-fry over a high heat for 3–5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and the meat is cooked through. In a clean frying pan, fry the eggs. I like the yolks really runny, coating the rice once I cut into them.
Serve the hot rice in 4 individual bowls. Place 1 egg onto the centre of the rice, then arrange the vegetables and meat around it. Sprinkle over some sesame seeds and salad cress and serve with the gochujang sauce. Start with a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce and mix everything together well. Add more gochujang sauce to taste.
