Many people are familiar with Kimchi- which is fermented cabbage and
Korean BBQ, especially the cook at the table style and the side veggies called banchan
One of MY favorite and my bf's favorite dish is 'bibimbap'.
Not just any ordinary bibimbap but dolsot style.
Bibimbap is a Korean word meaning mix & rice.
Bibim means mixed and the bap translates to rice.
The breakdown of dolsot is dol meaning rock and sot translates to pot -- aka: a rock bowl.
The rice gets mixed with all the side veggies in a bowl in this case a rock bowl.
This by far is hands down the BEST way to eat bibimbap.
The rock bowl comes in handy because the rice gets slightly burnt and crispy with
brushed sesame oil on the bottom as you finish the rice off on the stove.
The side veggies are your choice. Some the the standard banchans
I add are usually spinach, shredded carrots, shredded zucchini or squash, cabbage,
sliced bell peppers and typically a protein either tofu or beef.
Some other items you can add are shredded lettuce, blanched sprouts, fern stems,
shredded radish and pickled cucumber just to name a few.
For the spinach- simply blanch it in hot water for about a minute. Strain the water and mix
with 2 tsp of sesame oil. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top as well (the roasted ones)
I usually use the throw away gloves to simply toss it with my hand or you can use tongs.
For the shredded carrots (you can just buy already shredded or shred it yourself)
You can blanch the carrots or saute them in a drizzle of sesame oil. Again, top with
sesame seeds and a sprinkle of salt (to taste)
For the zucchini/squash you can lightly saute them while adding a sprinkle of salt (to taste).
The same can be done for bell peppers - saute with drizzle of oil and top with sesame seeds and salt.
If you are using cabbage or lettuce - you want to keep that raw and no seasonings on it.
For the tofu, cut into a shape that you favor and saute with
a drizzle of both sesame oil and soy sauce. (about a TBSP of soy sauce for 1/2 a brick of tofu)
Traditionally, the rice would get cooked in the rock bowl from the beginning.
I like to save time and make it easier by cooking the rice in a rice cooker, then simply
brushing sesame oil on the bottom of the rock bowl and then lining the bowl with rice.
(For every 2 people you want about 1.5 cup of rice)
These little bowls are perfect as one size servings and are super cheap. $5.00
They conveniently fit on a burner whether gas or electric.
They will work on a ceramic stove also.
Cook the rice on low to medium low for about 15-20 minutes until the rice is crispy
and almost burnt. Once the rice is done, you want to add all the veggies (banchan)
and then top it all with an over easy egg... or for those yolk- not popped fanatics--
you can simply just fry it. You want to line up the veggies separately on top of the rice
because it looks pretty with all the natural colors of the veggies and part of this dish
is to mix it and eat it with a spoon. It's called bibimp (mixed) for a reason.
The sauce you mix on top is a pepper paste sauce. The easiest way of making it is..
take 1 TBSP (per person) of pepper paste and add about a teaspoon of soy sauce
to dilute and to add as the salt flavor while adding a teaspoon of rice vinegar and
a sprinkle of sugar. (the sugar is optional)
We like to LOAD the veggies on! Super tasty and healthy.
Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food
