Korean bibimbap makes a hearty, warming meal on dreary days
Comfort food dish with flavour and flair
It's a single bowl of goodness that fits the bill for a comforting meal when cool weather sets in: bibimbap.
The iconic Korean rice dish has an interesting history that bridges eastern and western cultures when it comes time to sit down at the supper table.
Bibimbap — the word is parsed into two essential elements: "mixed" (bibim) and "rice" (bap) — is essentially a bowl of rice and vegetables that is often topped with a sunny-side-up fried egg. Beef can also be an ingredient. The whole thing is held together with a mildly spicy chili-pepper sauce called gochujang.
The technique for eating bibimbap is just as important as its preparation: you stir and mix the contents together and eat the dish with a long-handled spoon dedicated to the task.
Origin
"Bibimbap is different seasonally, and has many interpretations. In summer, for instance, hwe du bop is cool with raw tuna," said Chris Kim, owner of West of Seoul Kimchi and a manager at Janet Lynn's Bistro in Kitchener.
"With vegetables, it can be a really healthy dish."
While it's hard to determine the origins of bibimbap (or bop), one theory has it that preparing a very large bowl of rice with vegetables, seasonings and some meat, if available, was a quick, efficient and economical way to feed large groups of people such as farmers busy in the fields during harvest.
It is also thought that preparing a dish like bibimbap was an auspicious and symbolic way to finish one year by using up leftovers and clearing the way for the new year.
West meets east
North Americans traditionally eat their meal – protein, vegetables and starch – from a single plate, Korean bapsang culture serves a central dish of rice surrounded by several banchan (side dishes) at the table.
Bibimbap may be unique because it evolved into a one-dish meal, possibly when time and space did not permit a traditional multi-bowl Korean meal to be prepared.
Some food historians speculate that this is a reason it became popular in North America.
Versions
Versions of bibimbap can be quite varied, depending on the vegetables, the sauce used and the geographic area, including even the city in which it is made. For instance, bibimbap from Jeonju region in the southwest of South Korea is usually made with bean sprouts, raw beef and gochujang red chili sauce.
Kim says that a key trait of bibimbap is versatility. In cooler months, he likes dolsot ("hot stone") bibimbap.
The version of bibimbap served in the dolsot (a very hot stone bowl) offers a unique treat. Short grain rice (much like a sushi rice) sits in the bottom of the hot bowl and forms a crusty layer that elevates the texture and flavour of the dish. That layer is called "nurungji" — rice that's become toasted brown and crispy-caramelized.
Comfort zone
Cooler, darker weather demands food that comforts and bibimbap does that. It is also theorized to have been created for its health and spiritual significance.
Much like the ancient western theory of the four humours or "temperaments," the ingredients of bibimbap are traditionally believed to have tonic and soothing effects:
- Green vegetables are thought to aid liver function.
- Red and orange ingredients are believed to improve heart health.
- Yellow ingredients, like egg yolks, are said to be good for the stomach.
Bibimbap can even lower your blood pressure if you're upset — at least theoretically — according to Jinah Allen, who operates Kimbop, a Korean food business in Kitchener. She makes bibimbap at home quite often.
"When you feel stress, you just take whatever you have in your fridge, dump it in a bowl, mix it all together and eat it with hot pepper sauce. No more stress," said Allen with a laugh.
Local spots
In Waterloo region, there are a number of restaurants serving bibimbap, such as:
- Aroma Café, Owl of Minerva and Sakura Island in Waterloo.
- Shinla Garden and Korean BBQ in Kitchener.
- A Taste of Seoul has a regular pop-up gig at Vincenzo's in uptown Waterloo.
You can also buy ingredients and supplies to make your own bibimbap at Kitchener's Korean Food Market on King Street near Victoria.
Recipe
You can use any variety of vegetables you might have on hand. They can be cooked or used raw in the bibimbap. If you are using a dolsot bowl that goes on the stovetop (available at Asian food markets for under $10), slightly undercook the rice, add oil to the very hot dolsot and let the rice crisp up on the bottom.
Ingredients
- 2 oz. marinated beef, pork or chicken, cut into thin strips
- 1 cup short grain rice
- 3 cremini mushrooms (or your choice), sliced
- 2 tablespoons cucumbers, diced
- 15 match slices of carrot (option: quick pickled)
- 15 bean sprouts
- Gochujang chili pepper paste sauce
- 1 egg
- green onions, sliced (optional)
- sesame seeds (optional)
Method
- Cook the rice according to package instructions. Leave it just a bit underdone, if you are using a dolsot stone pot to finish and serve the bibimbap.
- Over medium heat, sear the meat and cook to suitable degree of doneness. Reserve warm. Sauté the mushrooms to golden brown. Deglaze with a shot of soy sauce. Spoon out the serving size of rice you want into a large bowl.
- Arrange the mushrooms, cucumbers, carrots and bean sprouts (or whatever other vegetables you want) on top of the rice around the outside of the bowl. Spoon out a tablespoon of gochujang sauce.
- Fry the egg sunny-side up until cooked but still with a liquid yolk. Garnish with the sesame seeds and green onion.
- To eat the bibimbap, stir the ingredients including the gochujang and egg yolk into mixed bowl of rice and vegetables with meat.
For the meat marinade
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- Juice of a fresh lime
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Method
Combine the ingredients and whisk together. Pour over the meat and marinate for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
For the pickled carrots
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
Method
Combine ingredients. In a container, immerse the carrot matchsticks in the marinade and place the container in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight.
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