Bibimbap

Bibimbap is a Korean dish which literally translates as "mixed rice". The first time I went to a Korean restaurant I was unfamiliar with everything on the menu, and ordered this just out of curiosity. And then I fell in love... effectively it's a bowl of rice topped with vegetables, beef, an egg and chilli sauce, but then you mix it togther and it is so much more than that. This is not just mixed rice, this is M&S mixed rice... Ahem. Sorry, anyway, the best type of bibimbap is dolsot bibimbap, which just differs due to the fact that it's served in a stone bowl which is heated up on the stove beforehand. This continues to cook the rice once you add it to the bowl, making it all crispy, and it also keeps the food hot. Making bibimbap is a little labour intensive, but totally worth it. If you've had it before, you should get what I mean, and if not, I will cook you some and you'll understand :)

If you're wondering why the egg is a bit funny looking, that's because it's poached, not fried.

Bibimbap (serves 2)

1 cup of cooked sticky rice (or thai fragrant rice if you don't have that)
1/2 packet of beansprouts
1 courgette, julienned
1 carrot, julienned
2 mushrooms
handful of spinach
200g beef mince
2 eggs
Soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, vegetable oil and hot pepper paste*

This recipe involves cooking lots of veggies separately which you'll then add to the rice when you're done. So just place them all on a large plate so you can easily arrange them in the bowl afterwards.

1. Put beansprouts in a pot of water, add a pinch of salt and boil until soft. Drain and mix with a dash of sesame oil and 1 tbsp sesame seeds.
2. Quickly boil spinach until just cooked, then mix with a small clove of minced garlic, sesame oil and a pinch of salt.
3. Saute carrots with a little sesame oil until just cooked.
4. Mix julienned courgette with a pinch of salt and saute.
5. Saute mushrooms with 1 tsp of sesame oil. Add 1 tsp of soy sauce and 1/2 tsp of sugar whilst cooking.
6. Cook the mince, and add 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of sugar, black pepper and a little sesame oil.
7. Fry the eggs sunny side up. If you don't want fried eggs, you can make omelette and cut it into little strips. I actually used poached eggs because I still haven't got over how easy it is to make poached eggs in the microwave.
8. Put half the rice in a bowl and arrange vegetables and meat, then top with an egg. Repeat for the second serving.
9. Serve with hot chilli paste, mix and enjoy!

*In korean, this is called gochujang. You can get it from oriental supermarkets, but there isn't really anything it can be substituted with. If you don't have it then you could use some other kind of sauce you like...spicy ketchup, sweet chilli sauce? It won't taste the same but will still be good :D