Today’s recipe was a gift from my brother-in-law, Kevin. We had been talking about him teaching me how to make bibimbap for months, until he happened to stay over few weeks ago. I had lots of veggies in the fridge and we decided to not only get cooking but I took pictures along the process to make it a blog post 🙂
What is Bibimbap? For those of you who may not know, as I didn’t, it is a signature Korean rice bowl topped with beef, cooked & raw vegetables, finished with a fried or raw egg on top. I am not very familiar with Korean food, but Kevin definitely is and he loves it. Kevin travels a lot, he’s been all over the world including Korea. He also has a very good friend from Korea that visits often and she cooks traditional Korean food for Kevin and his family; they always speak greatly of their friendship and the food they prepare together.
Bibimbap is a great dish to use a lot of vegetables, and I figured before all my fresh vegetable season ends I must make this recipe a couple of times and you should too. It is very simple, even thou it may seem like a lot of steps. All the ingredients are cooked separately and they come together at the end. The key is to do all your prep work ahead; when everything is ready, the cooking time is quick. It is a great recipe to involve the rest of the family, makes it easier, plus nothing is better than family bonding time in the kitchen. I am listing here the recipe with the ingredients we used, but as Kevin pointed out you can always substitute or add any other vegetables that may be in season. Kevin showed me a little trick to substitute the Korean chili paste, not a staple in my pantry; although the swap for ketchup + sriracha may not be as hot as the original sauce, it turns out to be a choice that the kids enjoyed. So if you are ready, let’s get chopping & cooking!
Ingredients:
(serves 6)
Note: You are going to need enough bowls for prepping each vegetable separately.
1 Pound cube steaks, thinly sliced (ground sirloin is commonly used)
2 Carrots, peeled
2 Red bell peppers
2 Portabella mushroom caps
1 zucchini
1 Cups spinach
1 1/2 Cup sprouts
3 Garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Cup low sodium soy sauce
6 Tablespoons sesame oil
4 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon sriracha sauce
6 cups cooked white rice, like basmati
6 eggs, fried to your likeness
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
Start by marinating the beef. This step could be done ahead of time, you can even do it the night before. We didn’t think that far ahead, so the beef marinated just enough while the rest of the ingredients were being prep. Also note that the vegetables should all be sliced in the same shape and size.
1) In a bowl whisk together, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce & 1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil and half of the minced garlic, add the beef and mix until is well coated, cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2) Cut the carrots into really thin slices (julienne). Add the carrots to a bowl and add enough water to cover. Set aside.
3) Cut the red peppers into thin slices, set aside
4) Cut the mushroom caps into thin slices. In a bowl whisk together, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce & 1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil, add the sliced mushroom, set aside
5) Slice the zucchini into thin strips. In a bowl whisk together, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce & 1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil and half of the minced garlic left. Add the zucchini strips, set aside
6) In a medium sauté pan, add 1 Tbsp. sesame oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the peppers and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
7) In the same hot sauté pan, add the mushrooms with the marinade. Cook until tender and the marinade thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
8) Using the same hot pan, add the zucchini with its marinade, cook until tender, about 2 minutes. The zucchini has a high content of water. Remove the zucchini from the pan and set aside, discard the liquid.
9) In the same hot pan, add the beef strips with the marinade and cook over medium high heat until the meat is tender and the marinade reduced by half. About 5 minutes.
10) In the meantime, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the sprouts and cook until transparent, about 2 minutes. Remove from the water and set aside.
11) In the same water add the spinach and blanch for 1 minute, strain the spinach. In a bowl whisk together 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1/2 tsp. sesame oil and the left over minced garlic, add the spinach. Set aside.
12) In a small serving bowl mix the ketchup and sriracha sauce.
13) Strain the carrots and pad with a paper towel, return to the bowl
14) To serve, place 1 cup of white rice in serving bowls. Place all the cooked veggies around the table and let everyone add as much or as little of each veggie and meat to their plate, going around the bowl to make it look pretty. Top with a fried egg and hot sauce to taste. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if using. Enjoy!
