south koreaTheSpiceOdysseyAugust 25, 2021Comment

Bibimbap

south koreaTheSpiceOdysseyAugust 25, 2021Comment

If you are new to Korean cuisine, this is the dish you want to start with. A humble bowl of rice with seasoned meat, rainbow hued vegetables, crispy fried egg and a delicious hot pepper paste which I can never get enough of! Bibimbap is one of the most revered Korean dishes around the world. Bibim translates as “mixed,” and bap means “cooked rice,” so bibimbap literally means “mixed rice.” And that’s exactly how you are supposed to eat it, mix it all up into one big delicious mess and enjoy!

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Five Colors of Health

The beauty of bibimbap is that it is seasonal, regional, and flexible. There is no one correct way to prepare it and eat the rice bowl, other than the fact that it should be balanced, colorful and nutritious from all the vegetables. In fact, the colors in the bowl each have meaning and representation within the cuisine, with nutrition and health in mind. When we previously featured Japchae, I talked about the lasting influence of Buddhism being a significant factor in the centrality of vegetables in Korean cuisine.

Based on the five elements or phases of East Asian cosmology, many Korean foods feature five colors. Known as ‘obangsaek’, it represents hope for health and prosperity, and an intrinsic understanding of harmonization with nature. This clearly shines through in bibimbap which showcases all five cardinal colors.

Black signifies the North and benefits the kidneys. It’s represented by dark ingredients like mushrooms and seaweed.
Red and oranges signifies the South and heals the heart. It’s represented by ingredients like red peppers and carrots.
Green signifies the East and helps the liver. It’s represented by ingredients like zucchini, cucumber and spinach.
White signifies the West and alleviates the lungs. It’s represented by ingredients like bean sprouts and rice.
Yellow brings in the center and serves the stomach. It’s represented by the beautiful egg in the middle of the bowl.

History

The precise origin of bibimbap is difficult to discern, but scholars have several speculations. Bibimbap was first recorded during the Joseon Dynasty between the late 1500s and mid 1600s. In order to trace the roots of bibimbap, one has to understand that historically Korea had specific meal rituals. It is most likely that bibimbap's true origins stem from ritualistic practices.

The first theory comes from the practice of jesa ritual rites. This theory argues that people mixed rice, vegetables, and side dishes together in a single bowl for ancestral food offerings, before eating it themselves. Another popular theory is that in an attempt to start the lunar new year afresh, households would mix all of their leftovers with rice. This theory seems highly plausible as many people now make bibimbap at the end of the week when there are many leftovers in the fridge.

Key Components

Many cultures have some equivalent of a rice bowl. Japanese donburi, Tex-Mex burrito bowl, Spanish paella, South Asian biryani, Creole jambalaya, Italian risotto just to name a few. And just like the other unique rice bowls (and platters), bibimbap has some key Korean components. The two most important and mandatory component of an authentic bibimbap is namul and gochujang.

Namul is a term for a variety of sautéed seasoned vegetables. It is essentially a catch-all term for vegetables prepared as a side dish, also known as banchan. But in the case of bibimbap, namul takes center stage, the primary ingredient, aside from rice, in the rice bowl, with meat as more of a grace note than the main event.
Gochujang is Korea’s answer to chili paste but it is more elaborate than just a puree of chili. It takes a base of red chili, but adds to it salt, fermented soybeans, and glutinous rice powder. Koreans are expert at fermentation, and not even their basic hot sauce does without it. Gochujang is the key flavor component to bibimbap, adding a lot more to a dish than simple heat, it elevates savory, sweet, spicy and fermented elements all in one humble rice bowl.

Recipe — Bibimbap

Serves: 2

There are infinite ways to create and serve this dish, from simple to elaborate. If you have had bibimbap at a Korean restaurant, you were most likely served in a heated stone or earthenware bowl called dolsot-bibimbap. “Dolsot” means “stone pot” in Korean, and this version is well-known for the way the bowl makes a layer of crispy, crackling rice in the bottom of the bibimbap. The one being showcased today is the “classic” bibimbap which is more common and convenient. But if you want to recreate the taste of crispy rice in the bottom, I highly recommend investing in a good dolsot or ttukbaegi.

Before we start, here is my recommendation for all the necessary ingredients and utensils so you can own this recipe!

Recommended Cookware and Utensils

Recommended Pantry Ingredients

When I am in the mood for Korean food or if it’s Korean week in the house, I like to prepare different types of namul ahead of time. This way, if it’s a long day after work or a busy week ahead, I can easily put together dishes like Bibimbap or Japchae with an array of vegetables and kimchis in no time. I have shared some of these recipes in an easy to follow visual guide, you can check them out here - Kongnamul Muchim (Bean Sprouts Two Ways), Baby Bok Choy Geotjeori (Quick Bok Choy Kimchi), and Oi Muchim (Spicy Pickled Cucumber Salad).

Namul | Vegetables

Bean Sprouts

Soybean or Mung Bean Sprouts - 8 oz
Water - 2 cups
Salt -½ tsp

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add the bean sprouts, cover the lid and boil for 4-5 minutes. Drain immediately, shock in ice water to stop the cooking process, then drain again.

Garlic - 1 small clove, grated
Toasted Sesame Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - just a pinch
Pepper - just a pinch

In a small mixing bowl, toss in the cooked bean sprouts, grated garlic, toasted sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Alternatively, you could also use my Kongnamul Muchim | Bean Sprouts Two Ways recipe with an easy to follow visual guide.

Spinach

Spinach - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Soy Sauce - 1 tsp
Toasted Sesame Oil - 1 tsp

Bring water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then take it out with a slotted spoon or strainer. Rinse the spinach in cold water to stop it from cooking. Squeeze the spinach to remove any excess water. In a large mixing bowl, add the spinach, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil and mix. Set aside.

Zucchini

Zucchini - 1, julienned
Vegetable Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - ¼ tsp

Using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, cut the zucchini into thin matchsticks. In a skillet, over medium heat, add the oil. Then add the zucchini and salt. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Cucumber

Cucumber - 2 Persian cucumbers or ½ English cucumber
Salt - ¼ tsp
Vegetable Oil - 1 tsp

Cut the cucumbers into halves lengthwise and slice thinly crosswise, like little half coins. Mix with salt in a bowl and set aside. After 15 minutes, squeeze out the excess water. In a skillet, heat up the oil and sauté the cucumbers for just 1 minute. Set aside.

Red Pepper

Red Bell Peppers // Sweet Long Peppers - 1, julienned
Vegetable Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Clean, destem and devein (the white parts) the peppers. Using a sharp knife, julienne the peppers. Heat up the skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add the peppers and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until it’s tender, just about al dente. Set aside.

Carrots

Carrots - 2, julienned
Vegetable Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - just a pinch

Clean and peel the carrots. Using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, julienne the carrots into thin matchsticks. Heat up the skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add the carrots and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until it’s tender, just about al dente. Set aside.

Mushroom

Mushroom - 1 cup shiitake, button or bella
Vegetable Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - ½ tsp

Clean the mushrooms very well - wash them under running water removing any dirt. If using dried shiitake, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes or so until they are fully hydrated. Cut the mushroom into thin strips. Heat up the skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add mushrooms and salt. Stir-fry until the mushrooms are cooked and tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Protein | Meat & Eggs

Meat

You can totally forgo meat in this dish because the highlight of the bibimbap is always the rainbow hued vegetables. But just for the sake of adding protein or you have a carnivorous husband like me, you could use any kind of meat or seafood you like. Use any tender cut of meat in small bite size like sliced or minced beef, chicken or pork. I like to use ground beef because there is always some in my fridge.

Ground Beef - 8 oz
Light Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp
Mirin - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
Vegetable/Sesame Oil - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Black Pepper - 1 tsp
Gochugaru - 1-2 tbsp (optional)

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients above and set aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes, to enhance the flavors. In a skillet over medium high heat, sauté the meat for 5-6 minutes. Set aside.

Eggs

Eggs - 2

Sunny-side-up egg is the most common way of preparing eggs for bibimbap. That being said, I’m not teaching you how to make sunny-side-up eggs. I hope you have that figured out. 👀

Note: If you plan on using a hot dolsot (stone bowl) or an ttukbaegi (earthenware bowl), you can leave the egg raw as is because it will end up cooking from the heat of the bowl.

Bibimbap Sauce

Gochujang - ½ cup
Water - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Toasted Sesame Oil - 2 tbsp
Gochugaru - 1 tbsp
Rice Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves, grated
Toasted Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp

In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients mentioned above and set aside.

Assembling the Bibimbap

Rice - 2 cups, preferably short grain

For bibimbap, I like to use short grain rice (check my recommended ingredient lists above). Short grain rice exudes more starch, making it naturally sticky which is what we want for bibimbap. But if you don’t have it at home, feel free to use whatever types of rice you have in your pantry. If you have a usual method or a preferred rice cooker, go ahead and cook the rice as you would normally.

On a coupe bowl (like I have)

Place one serving of rice into a bowl. Arrange a small amount of each vegetable around the bowl, then add a scoop of beef in the middle. Top it off with a sunny-side up egg.

On a dolsot or tteukbaegi bowl

Brush the bowl with a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Place one serving of rice into a bowl. Arrange a small amount of each vegetable around the bowl, then add a scoop of beef in the middle. Crack an egg on top. Set the bowl over a burner and heat over medium-high heat until you hear the rice crackling. Remove the stone pot from the heat (be careful because it is extremely hot).

When you are ready to eat, sprinkle more sesame seeds, drizzle some toasted sesame oil and top it off with as much bibimbap sauce as you like. I like it super spicy so I always have some extra sauce on the side. Mix it all together in the bowl with a spoon and enjoy!

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We will be back with another South Korean recipe next week. If there is a particular dish you want me to make, do leave your request in the comment section below. Also we love your feedback so let us know what you think. Bye for now! Annyeonghi Gyeseyo!