Bibimbap nights!

I went to Korea for an official business in 2006 and had a couple of free days in Seoul. It wasn't very easy conversing with the locals so the most convenient thing to do when inside a restaurant is to either order based on photos or to get the most familiar dish I could pronounce. In two of the places I visited (not that there were lots), I ordered bibimbap.

Bibimbap is a giant bowl of rice topped with veggies, meat and an egg. In Korean restaurants, it is served with different side dishes like pickled vegetables and dried anchovies.

My renewed craving for Korean food started about three or four weeks ago when I dreamed I was in Seoul. When I woke up the program on National Geographic Channel was about Korean food and the dish being discussed when I opened my eyes was, well, bibimbap. I watched the entire show, which also featured other Korean favorites like kimchi and samgyetang (more on this when I finally get to try making it). The program was followed by another feature, this time about Korean royalties. If that's not destiny, I don't know what is. Haha!

And so I decided to make bibimbap for dinner based on a recipe I got from Maangchi (this website is currently my Korean food bible). I didn't have some of the ingredients but had enough veggies to make my bibimbap may be at least half-authentic.

Basic bibimbap

4 cups cooked rice
bean sprouts
spinach
1 zucchini, julienned
1 small carrot, julienned
1 egg
garlic, minced
sesame seeds
sesame oil
hot pepper paste

If you want to test your patience in the kitchen, then I think you really have to try making bibimbap. Not only do you have to make sure everything is in bite-size pieces, you also have to cook everything separately before putting them all together.

1. Boil bean sprouts for 15 to 20 minutes. When done (which means you can bite the yellow part without chipping a tooth), drain the water, and add minced garlic and sesame oil.
2. Sautee zucchini in sesame oil and garlic. Maangchi suggests letting the zucchini sit with a little salt just before cooking. I'm not very familiar with zucchinis since it's not a native Philippine vegetable but I followed the instruction anyway.
3. Cook spinach in boiling water for one minute. Drain the hot water, then put the leaves in cold water. Drain again. See? You really need patience here. Season the spinach with sesame oil and garlic.
4. Fry an egg, sunny-side up. I think some restos serve really hot bibimbap with raw egg but I don't like that runny texture. I prefer my egg over hard without flipping it so it's still nice and smooth on top. The egg in my first bibimbap was cooked by Gerard and he taught me how to make the "perfect" sunnies!
5. Arrange everything neatly on top of your rice and you're done! You can serve this with more sesame oil and some hot pepper paste.

Here's my first bibimbap:

There was more than enough for four people. It was perfect with Korean beef barbecue (see recipe here.)

There are lots of other stuff you can put in your bibimbap so don't let my simple dish stop you from adding more ingredients. Maangchi suggests the following: kosari (fern), shiitake mushrooms and ground beef.

I added chicken to my second bibimbap. I just marinated three chicken thigh fillets in a little soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, sesame seeds and garlic, and it turned out pretty okay (whew!).

Here's my second bibimbap: