Bimbimbap, shoo wah di wah di wah di wop...

Bibimbap is the iconic dish for Korea. It is simply cooked rice, topped with cooked veggie toppings & meat, drizzled with gochujang sauce (red pepper paste) and to top it all off, the pièce de résistance - a fried sunnyside egg. Wiki describes it as "Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables), beef, a fried egg, and gochujang (chili pepper paste). The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot."


There are many ways to make Bibimbap. There is one made with minced beef in the ingredients. Another way to serve Bibimbap is with raw diced fish called Yoekhoe bibimbap. One of my favorite variations is topped with shad roe, crunchy diced yellow squash and kimchi called Albap. (Pictured on the left). The egg can be fried or raw (like the first picture up above).

And some bibimbap are served in stonepots, which gives a nice crunchy crust to the rice (this type of bibimbap is called "Dolsot bibimbap"). And some served in huge washbasins. I had the unfortunate incident of being served one like this in Ilsan city. Bill laughed out loud when he saw my face as I got a stainless steel bowl as big as a washbasin that contained my bibimbap (the one I ordered was good for two).


Here's one I made with fridge leftovers - julienned carrots & cucumbers, sauteed bean sprouts, sauteed mushrooms and fried pork.


We can't forget our sunnyside up egg, can't we?


All mixed together for spoonfuls of tasty goodness.


Here I've added sauteed spinach, strips of seaweed laver, julienned daikon radish and sauteed cabbage strips.

Again topped with that wonderful fried egg. The egg needs to be cooked with the yolk still oozing so that when you mix it all up, you get the yolky goodness permeating throughout the rice grains.

Here's a simple recipe on how to prepare bibimpab.

Bibimbap

4 cups of cooked rice
1 cup sliced, cooked beef (stirfried in a little soy sauce)
1 cup beansprouts, stirfried in a little oil with salt and pepper
1 cup julienned carrots, stirfried in a little oil
1 cup mushrooms, sliced and stirfried in a little oil
2 cups spinach, washed, blanched and squeezed dry
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup seaweed wrapper, cut into strips
4 eggs, fried sunnyside up
1 squirt bottle of gochujang paste

1. For the spinach, after blanching it, mix it with a little salt, garlic and sesame oil.
2. To assemble the bowl, get 4 bowls, add a cup of rice into them.
3. Divide and arrange the cooked vegetables and beef on top of the rice.
4. Squirt a little gochujang sauce (or a lot if you want it spicy) in the middle of the bowl.
5. Top with an egg on each bowl.

Serve and enjoy!