Bibimbap
Ingredients:
100g of Korean or Japanese rice grains- could be substituted with risotto or pudding rice, preferably not American long grain or Basmati since it needs to be sticky
Handful of spinach
Handful of bean sprouts
Half a carrot cut into matchsticks
4-5 shitake mushrooms (adds oriental touch but any types of mushrooms are equally tasty and nutritious)
A small portion of cucumber, deseeded and cut into matchsticks
2 eggs plus a little bit of cooking oil to fry them in
Toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle on top (optional)
For a non veggie option, you can also include:
*2tbsp tinned tuna or salmon
*Handful of prawns
*Strips of chicken/beef/pork from previous roast dinner or from the cooked and chilled section of any good supermarket
Bibimbap is a Korean dish that literally translates to MIXING and RICE
- a very simple and tasty way to get your five a day -
Method
1. Cook the rice as instructed until fluffy and sticky.
2. Prepare the vegetable toppings. First, boil some water into the pan and add carrots. They should be ready in 3-4 minutes. Remove the carrots and drain them. Using the same pan, proceed to blanch the mushrooms (4-5mins), bean sprouts (30 seconds) and lastly the spinach (30 seconds to 1 minute). Squeeze out the excess moisture in the spinach. Overall, be careful not to overcook the vegetables since you want to retain the bite as well as nutrients.
3. Fry the eggs in a non-stick pan. I usually like mine sunny side up!
4. Mix all the ingredients for the pouring sauce.
5. Assemble your dish by place the cooked rice on the dish and topping it with the cooked vegetables and cucumber laid out side by side. Place the fried egg in the centre. Add the fish/ prawns/ meat as desired and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Serve with the sauce on the side and starting MIXING, adding extra chilli to taste. I love my bibimbap with loads of chilli sauce and additional sesame oil!
