Bibimbap

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Bibimbap is a mixed rice dish that comes from Korea. While it has many components, the dish is easy to make, delightful to eat and reduces small children to giggles as they play with its name and their food. It consists of a bowl of rice that is rimmed with sauteed vegetables and a bit of meat. It is topped with a fried egg that has a still runny yoke. When the dish is served, the yolk is broken and mixed with the other ingredients. It can be served hot or cold, and if you have the proper bowls, the rice can be sizzled to form a crust that adds a nutty flavor and still more texture to the dish. The ingredients I've used here are merely suggestions and you can swap vegetables and meat at will. The only real requirements for bibimbap are rice and red chili paste. The dish is mildly flavored and rice wine vinegar and chili paste are what give it some oomph. The fact that they are served separately makes this a great family dish and prevents the children's familiar "it's too spicy" wail. Speaking of children, there's more 'bapping" going on at the table than I like to hear. I have to run. I hope you'll give this a try. It is easy, fun and really satisfying. Here's the recipe.

Bibimbap...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of NickKindelsperger and Serious Eats

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided use
2 teaspoons sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
1/2 pound thinly sliced steak
2 eggs
1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
Handful bean sprouts
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup red pepper paste
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Directions:
1) Combine soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Add beef and stir until coated. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, pour 1/2 tablespoon of remaining sesame oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and toss to coat. Cook until they are tender and soft. Set aside. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of reserved sesame oil to skillet and add sliced zucchini. Cook it until it is tender, about 5 minutes or so.
3) Bring a few cups of water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add bean sprouts and cook for about a minute. Drain in a colander.
4) Set a large skillet over high heat. When very hot add beef. Cook, stirring often until browned on all sides. Set aside.
5) Pour remaining tablespoon sesame oil into a non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Crack two eggs into pan and cook until whites are set, but yolk is still very runny.
6) To serve: Create individual piles of beef, mushrooms,zucchini, bean sprouts and raw carrots. Place a cup of hot cooked rice in the center of each of two of an individual serving bowls, then add a little bit of each of the other ingredients around the edges of the bowls. Top each with a fried egg. Serve with red pepper paste and rice wine vinegar to taste. When ready, break the yolk and twirl around the contents until well mixed. Yield: 2 servings.









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