Bibimbap is a Korean dish composed of warm white rice topped with sauteed and seasoned vegetables and chile pepper paste. It’s often garnished with a raw or fried egg and sliced beef. Popular, flavorful, and healthful, bibimbap is simple to prepare. Each one of the ingredients is something special in itself.
I first encountered bibimbap when I was grazing for lunch in the Conde Nast cafeteria last year. It was the fried egg on top that initially caught my eye, but I was also happy I to see so many vegetables in one dish. It wasn’t hard to re-create the recipe at home, and everyone took to it right away, just as I had. Feel free to substitute any of the vegetables in your fridge for the ones I list. Likewise, I recommend brown rice or wheat berries, neither of which is traditional, but you’re certainly welcome to use white rice. For me, the key components are the rice, the miso sauce, and my favorite, the fried egg.
Yield : Makes 4 Servings
Prep Time : 41 minutes
Cooking Time : 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice or wheat berries
- Sesame Miso Sauce (recipe follows)
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 2 large carrots
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 ounces baby spinach (about 8 cups, packed)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 8 ounces firm tofu
- 4 large eggs
- 4 medium scallions
- Thai chili sauce or hot sauce of your choice
- Quick or Quicker Kimchi or store-bought kimchi
Sesame Miso Sauce (Makes About 2/3 cup):
- 1 tablespoon water mixed with 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons red or white miso
- 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 1½ tablespoons well-stirred tahini
- 1 tablespoon sake, rice wine, or dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Directions
1. Cook the rice or wheat berries in boiling salted water following the package directions (you should have about 3 cups).
2. Meanwhile, prepare the Sesame Miso Sauce. Combine water and vegetable oil; seasoned rice wine vinegar; miso; ginger; tahini; sake, rice wine, or dry sherry; and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. May be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; shake before using. Clean the shiitakes, remove and discard the stems, and slice the caps (about 1 1/3 cups). Coarsely grate the carrots, preferably using the shredding disc of a food processor (about ½ cups).
3. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, season them with salt and pepper to taste, and saute them for 2 minutes, or until they are just tender. Transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Add another 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt; cook for 4 minutes, or just until tender. Add the spinach and another pinch of salt to the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, or just until wilted. Stir in the sesame seeds and transfer the mixture to the baking sheet with the carrots.
5. Cut the tofu into four 1/3-inch slices; cut the slices in half. Add ½ tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan; increase the heat to high. Add the tofu and cook for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown; transfer the tofu to the baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm while you fry the eggs.
6. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan. Crack the eggs, one at a time, into a cup or ramekin and add quickly to 1 the pan. Fry until cooked to the desired degree of doneness. Trim and slice the scallions (about ½ cup).
7. To serve, mound ¾ cup hot rice in the center of each of 4 pasta bowls. Arrange 2 slices of the tofu on top along with 1 egg and one-quarter each of the carrots and the spinach mixture. Sprinkle the scallions over the top and drizzle with the Sesame Miso Sauce and Thai chili sauce. Top with a spoonful of kimchi, if desired.
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