Bimbimbap means adding a mixed variety of vegetables and meat on top a nice bed of steamed rice. It is such a simply displayed dish but so full of flavor. Through each bite it speaks to your soul. Have you ever felt that nostolgia of a food you ate growing up as a child or experience during your travels. You close your eyes and smile because it reminds you of that exact moment. That feeling is it for me when I am eating bibimbap. It reminds me of my time I spent in Korea exploring the culture and it's flavors. I close my eyes as I take each bite and travel back to this memorable moment.
My greatest critics are my dear friends. Someone who understands the flavoring of food and how each ingredient complements said a friend of mine.
"The Gochujang ties it all together! This is delicious" - Val
Bibimbap was one of the first dishes I tried before I ventured off to the land of Korea. It was at our local H-Mart here in Bellaire. I took a solo drive, parked and made my way in. I got to the back and I knew exactly what I wanted. That colorful vibrant dish drew me in. I sat down and took the first bite and immediately fell in love with it. That day I specifically ordered Dolsot Bibimbap which is made in a stone pot that leaves the rice at the bottom crispy, even better. I continued to eat it many times living in Korea and made many times when I returned from my time spent there. It will always be a dish that I recommend to try if you are trying Korean food for the first time.
Food for the Soul: Bibimbap
Your Ingredients
Marinate for Meat: Traditionally beef is used but you can use any choice of meat. In this recipe I used chicken.
1 pound of Chicken breast
3 Garlic cloves
2 tsp of Grated ginger
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp of Cracked black pepper
2 tbsp of Honey
1/2 tbsp Gochujang (Red Pepper Paste)
2 tsp of sesame oil
1 tbsp of Garlic infused olive oil
Salt to taste
Topping Ingredients
2 bunches of Fresh Spinach
1 1/2 cups of Shitake or Baby Bella Mushrooms
3 Grated carrots
4 scrambled eggs (you can make fried egg too)
Gochujang (This can be found at your local grocery store now. I use the brand O'Food Korean Chili Sauce. It is in a bottle)
Directions
In a large mixing bowl add the Garlic, Ginger, Rice wine vinegar, Soy sauce, Cracked black pepper, Honey, Gochujang, Sesame oil, Garlic infused olive oil and salt in a bowl. Mix together until the ingredients are blended. Put aside.
Cut the chicken in to thin 2 inch strips. This will help them cook faster as well.
Add the chicken to the marinate and place in your refrigerator for 30 mins- 1 hour to absorb all the flavor. You can also marinate over night.
Next it is time to prep the vegetables. First you need to wash all your vegetables. Peel the carrots and grate them or julien them into 2 inch sticks. Cut your mushrooms into thin slices.
In a pan add olive oil and sautee your carrots with a some salt until they are soft. Set aside. In the same pan sautee your mushrooms with a some salt.
For the spinach, you will place the spinach in boiling water until the leaves are wilted for about 3-4 minutes. Spinach boils fast. Drain the water and rinshe with cold water. Next, squeeze out all the water. You will notice that big bunch leaves you with barely any spinach once it is boiled. So make as much as you like.
Add the spinach into a small bowl and add sesame oil and salt. Mix it together and it is the best thing you will ever taste.
In a rice cooker, steam your short grain rice.
While your rice is cooking, you can cook your meat. Cook the chicken in batches in your frying pan with some olive oil.
Scramble the eggs.
Now its time to assemble. In a bowl or plate, add your steam rice and top it with the chicken, carrots, spinach , mushrooms, eggs, and don't forget the Gochujang!
It looks pretty plated but the best part is blending it all together until the red Gochujang has covered every ingredient. Take the first bite and let your taste buds on a journey. It is the best!
I hope you enjoy the process of making this dish. It really holds a lot of history and flavor. If you decided make this make sure you tag me in your picture on Instagram @inhealthandmoderation. Also don't forget to like, comment and follow my page.