Korean Bibimbap
Serves 2
Ingredients
250g beef mince or 1 block tofu
2 eggs
128g white rice
1/4 cucumber
1 carrot
150g mushrooms
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup bean sprouts
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp Apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp kimchi
1 tsp sesame seeds
Salt & Pepper
Sauce:
2 tbsp guchujang paste (a fermented spicy chilli paste, I found some in Sainsbury’s but otherwise Asian supermarkets should have it)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp water
Method
Start by making the sauce. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until you’ve got a smooth consistent sauce, set aside. Next cook rice according to pack instructions, ideally cool on the stove then when it’s done you can turn the element off and leave with the lid on to stay warm until serving. While that’s cooking, julienne or thinly slice the cucumber and carrot and place in a bowl, drizzle on a tsp Apple cider vinegar and set aside. Slice all the mushrooms and place in a pan with 1 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp soy sauce, keep stirring so they don’t stick to the bottom and burn. Once these start to shrink, turn onto a very low heat and leave to simmer. Next use another pan to cook the beef mince, put another tbsp of sesame oil and soy sauce into the pan then place the beef and fry until browned. If using tofu then you’ll need to mash it up with a spoon and tongs until it resembles mince. Once the mince is nearly done, turn down to a low heat also and leave to keep warm. By this time the rice should also be done so make sure you check it’s turned off. In the final pan add another tbsp of sesame oil and place the bean sprouts on one side and baby spinach on the other. Cook until the spinach has wilted then remove from the pan. Season everything well before serving. Finally fry the eggs, can do this while you are building the bowls as this won’t take long! I cooked them on a medium to low heat, remember not to crack the egg in until the pan is hot. Spoon the rice in the bottom of the bowl, followed by the mushrooms, then the mince, spinach and bean sprouts, raw vegetables, kimchi, and finally the sauce in the middle, then the egg in the last remaining spot. Garnish with sesame seeds. Before eating, mix everything together so the sauce coats all the rice.