BIBIMBAP

My love for this dish started about 5 years ago when Eric and I went to eat Korean BBQ at Genwa in LA.  Now every trip to LA involves Korean BBQ – and Bibimbap (pronounced bee-bim-bop with the accent on the first syllable).  Bibim means mixed and bap means rice, and that’s exactly what this dish is – a heavenly combination of beef and flavorful vegetables with a fried egg on top and the spiciness of Korean Chili Paste that has a hint of aromatic sesame oil added – all mixed together with rice.  I’ve been told no two bibimbap dishes are the same, because it originated by using all the leftovers in the kitchen.  At the restaurants it is served in a dolsot which is a stone bowl that is heated and crisps the rice everywhere that is touching the stone and is so hot it actually cooks the egg.  I recently found a recipe on The Splendid Table website that suggested making it in a black skillet, and I do love cooking in my black skillet.  I have made it twice now and both times there were moaners.  Justin was at the ranch both times I made it, and last night I served him a bowl of it left over from the night before (I did make him a fresh egg) and he moaned on the first bite.  The crunchy rice on the bottom is always everyone’s favorite part, so if your black skillet isn’t big enough to spread it thin enough (like maybe 1-1/2 to 2”) then I would suggest using two black skillets.  The only other tricky part is mixing in the gochujang paste.  You want your whole dish to be almost pink before you bite into it which requires quite a bit of stirring, and that is SO hard to do when your mouth is watering for that first bite.  Trust me, this dish is worth the effort.  A trip to the Asian market will be a treat and will make it much easier locating all the ingredients.  Otherwise I would suggest heading to Central Market.

Gochujang Sauce** (gochujang paste can be bought at Central Market or an Asian market)

1-1/2 lbs. bulgogi beef, thinly sliced, about 1/8” thick (Asian market has it or you can use boneless rib-eye or flank steak and get the butcher to slice it thin for you), marinated***

3 cups sushi rice (I got mine at the Asian market, but Central Market might have it.)

3 large carrots, peeled and julienned (I used ½ bag matchstick carrots.)

1-2 medium zucchini, julienned

About 12 oz fresh bean sprouts

About 10 oz. fresh spinach

Combination of shitake mushrooms, sliced and either enoki or enokitake*

Toasted sesame oil

Peanut oil

Gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder – I got mine at the Asian market.)

Garlic cloves, finely diced

Reduced sodim soy sauce

Distilled white vinegar

Toasted sesame seed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Kimchi **** (can be bought at Asian market, but I made my own in advance because it is cheaper and so I could control how strong it is – make at least 2 days in advance)

Fried eggs, preferably sunny side up (1 per person)

Prepare the beef marinade and marinate the beef in the refrigerator covered for about 3 hours.  Wash the sushi rice in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear and then soak it in a bowl covered in water at least 30 minutes but 3 or so hours is even better.  Prepare the gochujang sauce and set it aside covered.  Prep all your vegetables and refrigerate until ready to use.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil.  Add the bean sprouts and cook until soft but not mushy, about 3-4 minutes.  Drain well and transfer to a bowl; stir in 2 t. toasted sesame oil and sprinkle with salt, black pepper, gochugaru and sesame seeds.  Set aside.

Drain the rice and put in a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid with 3 cups of water.  Bring to boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.  When all the water is gone turn off the heat and leave covered.

Meanwhile begin cooking your vegetables.  In a large black skillet, heat 1 TB sesame oil and 1 TB peanut oil and cook the carrots, zucchini and mushrooms, one at a time, until wilted and toothsome but tender enough to pierce with a fork, 3-5 minutes per vegetable.  The mushrooms may cook for a shorter time, depending on how delicate the mushrooms you bought are.  You may need to add a little oil per vegetable.  Put all your cooked vegetables in a large bowl and cover to keep warm.  I don’t mix them together but put them in individual piles in the same bowl.  In the same skillet add a little more of each oil and sauté 2 cloves of diced garlic stirring until they are fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add spinach, 2 TB soy, and 1 t. distilled white vinegar.  Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper.  Add this to the vegetable bowl.

Gently wipe any excess vegetables out of the black skillet and add 2 TB peanut oil, heating it over medium heat until it completely covers the bottom of the pan.  Spread the cooked rice into the pan in an even layer with as much rice touching the bottom as possible.  Do not stir.  Cook 10-15 minutes.

While your rice gets crispy, cook your meat.  I tried it on a grill pan on my gas grill and also on my comal on my cooktop.  I used the comal because it is black cast iron as well.  We decided the comal cooked it the best.  Try and drain as much of the juicy marinade off the meat as possible, but with the meat so thin it is difficult.  Cook the meat until it is brown on both sides, only a 1-2 minutes per side.  You will have to do this in several batches; put the cooked meat in a bowl and cover it while you are cooking the rest of the meat.

Fry the eggs in a little peanut oil.  You will want the yellow a little runny but the whites totally cooked. (If you prefer your yolks totally cooked you can do that instead.)

Check to see that the rice on the bottom of the pan is browning.  Once it is turn off the heat.  Begin layering the sprouts, vegetables, kimchi and meat on the rice still in the pan.  Top with the fried eggs.  In individual serving bowls scoop out servings, being sure to get the crunchy rice on the bottom in each bowl as well.  Cut up the egg, letting the little bit of yellow run through it.  Put a large dollop of the gochujang sauce on top of each serving.  Using 2 spoons or forks begin tossing the bibimbap with the sauce until everything appears to have been lightly coated with it, making your rice now pinkish in color.

NOW, enjoy the best rice dish you have ever tasted!

*Enoki mushrooms are very delicate with about 4”long thin stems and a little button on top.  They are cream colored and come in a small plastic bag.  They don’t have a long shelf life so don’t buy them too far in advance  Enokitake mushrooms are the cultivated version and can also be called straw mushrooms because they are grown in straw.  They come with narrow stems about 2” long and small brown buttons on top and are all connected at the bottom in a bunch.  They come in a bag to keep the bunch together.  Cut off the bottom and rinse to be sure to get all of the “straw” off the bottom.  They are both used in Asian cooking and a nice addition.  If you don’t go to an Asian market, just use sliced shitakes. 

**GOCHUJANG SAUCE:

½ c. gochujang paste

2 TB sugar (raw sugar preferred if you have it, if not use brown sugar)

2 TB toasted sesame seeds

1 t. sesame oil

Mix well and set aside covered.

***BEEF MARINADE:

1/3 c. grated Asian pear with juices

½ c. reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 scallions, thinly slice

2 garlic cloves, finely diced

1 TB raw or brown sugar

2 t. finely diced peeled ginger

Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add beef; toss to coat.  Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

****KIMCHI

1 lg. napa cabbage, washed

1 gallon warm water

½ c. kosher salt

8-10 garlic cloves, diced

One 2” pieced peeled fresh ginger, diced

1/3 c. hot-pepper paste, such as sambal oelek (Asian section of all grocery stores)

2 TB fish sauce (Asian section of all grocery stores)

1 t. raw sugar (if you have it, if not use brown sugar)

6 green onions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1” lengths

1 TB toasted sesame seeds

Slice the cabbage in half lengthwise.  Trim out the tough root and cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters.  Combine the water and salt in a very large bowl and stir to dissolve.  Submerge the cabbage pieces in the water, cover with a plate to hold them down and set aside for at least 2 hours on the countertop.  Meanwhile stir the garlic and ginger with the hot-pepper paste, fish sauce, sugar and green onions. 

Drain and squeeze the cabbage leaves very dry, patting between the layers with a kitchen towel.  Toss the cabbage in the hot-pepper mixture, covering each layer completely with the paste and rubbing in well.  Pack the cabbage into a clean tall glass jar and cover tightly.  Leave the jar in a dark place overnight. 

Check the kimchi after 1 day.  When you see some bubbling, which signals fermentation, transfer the kimchi to the fridge.  If the kimchi is not bubbling let it sit in the dark place another half day to a day.  (Mine sat 2 full days and I didn’t really see much bubbling, but I put it in the frig then anyway.  I was worried the longer it fermented the stronger it would taste, and I have had kimchi that is so strong it is funky to my tastebuds.)

Store the fermented kimchi in the frig for up to 3 weeks.  Cut the large pieces of cabbage into smaller pieces about 1” long and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the top before serving.