Korean Feast: Bimbimbap with Dak Bulgogi

Bibimbap? It's a must to order in a Korean restaurant. It's usually served in a hot stone pot as the ingredients with raw egg sizzle so temptingly. Basically, there's rice and several types of vegetable and a meat of your choice. The aroma of the sesame oil is so indulging that I can't stop finishing the whole bowl of mixed rice which comes with an array of side dishes in a Korean restaurant. However, most Korean restaurants here in Malaysia serve Bibimbap in a ceramic bowl or even a steel bowl for convenience, that's why raw egg can't be served but replaced with a sunny side-up egg.

According to Korean Bapsang, "Bibim means mixing, bap means rice and the mixing usually happens at the table right before eating."

Bibimbap with Sunny Side-up Egg

Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Meat) (reference: Korean Bapsang)
Serve 4-5
Ingredients:

• Rice for 4 servings
• Soy bean sprouts/ mung bean sprouts - 400g
• Cucumber - 1
• Zucchini - 1
• Carrots - 2
• Broccoli - 1
• Garlic cloves - 4 to 5
• Eggs - 4 to 5
• Soy sauce 
• Sesame oil 
• Roasted sesame seeds 
• Salt and pepper 
• Vegetable or canola oil

1.  Soybean sprouts: Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the bean sprouts and boil for 3 minutes. Drain quickly and shock in cold water. Toss with 1 tsp of minced garlic, 1 tsp of seasame oil and 1/2 tsp of seasame seeds. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cucumber:  Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and then thinly slice crosswise. Generously sprinkle salt over sliced cucumbers and set aside for 10 - 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid. Toss with 1 tsp of minced garlic, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp of sesame seeds.
3. Zucchinis: Cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise and then thinly slice crosswise. Generously sprinkle salt over sliced zucchinis and set aside for 10 - 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid from salted zucchini by hand. Add 1 tsp of minced garlic. Sauté in a lightly oiled skillet for 1 - 2 minutes over medium high heat.
4. Carrots: Shred the carrots. Sauté in a lightly oiled skillet for 1 - 2 minutes over medium high heat, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Broccoli: Cut the broccoli head from the stem. Cut the head into small florets. Peel the stems and cut into small pieces. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and broccoli, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until it reaches the desired tenderness. Drain well.
   Combine the broccoli with the 1 tsp of sesame oil, 1/2 tsp of sesame seed and toss well. Add salt to taste. (reference: Seasame Broccoli from Korean Bapsang) 
6. To Assemble: Place a serving of rice in a big bowl. (If using a stone bowl, heat it on medium heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil and rice and cook the rice for several minutes until the rice sizzles.) Nicely arrange a small amount of each prepared vegetable and meat over the rice. Drizzle a little sesame oil over. (optional: sprinkle some roasted sesame seed on the rice) Top with an egg fried sunny-side up and serve with the sauce.

Yangnyeomjang sauce: (reference: Maangchi)

Chop 4 green onions and put them in a small bowl. Pour half cup of soy sauce in there (I replaced with Japanese soy sauce and dark caramel soy sauce of ratio 1:1), and add 1 tbs of sesame seeds, 2 tsp of sugar, 1 tbs of sesame oil and mix it up.

Dak Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Chicken) (reference: Korean Bapsang)
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:

• Boneless chicken thigh - 2
• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 1tbsp 
• Brown sugar - 1 tbsp
• Honey - 1 tbsp (or 1-1/3 more tablespoons brown sugar)
• Rice wine (or mirin) - 1 tbsp
• Minced garlic - 1 tbsp
• Grated ginger - 1 tsp 
• Sesame oil - 1 tbsp 
• A pinch of black pepper 
• Sesame seeds - 1 tsp

1. Rinse chicken pieces. Trim off excess fat. Cut each of the chicken pieces into small sizes (about 2-inch long and 1-inch wide).
2. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Coat the chicken pieces with the marinade. Marinate for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces, reserving the marinade. Cook until cooked through and slightly caramelized, about 2 minutes each side. (The sugar and honey in the marinade will burn easily, so watch it carefully and add the reserved marinade by tablespoon when the pan gets dry. You can slightly reduce the heat to avoid burning, if needed.) 

* I did not wait till the marinade on the chicken caramelized, that's why my chicken is paler.



I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #37: Korean - Feast of Hansik (November 2013) hosted by Grace of Life can be simple