BIBIMBAP – THE ULTIMATE BOWL MEAL
You know I love my bowl-meal meals, right? They have everything you’re looking for in a bowl and more flavor, texture, and color than one could scratch a stick at. The more I cook bowl-based meals, the more they are reminiscent of Bibimbap, the most famous of bowl meals. If you’re still not aware of the amazingness of Bibimbap, learn all the information. Although my Bibimbap isn’t authentic, I could utilize the available ingredients to create something close enough to satisfy the craving.
WHAT IS BIBIMBAP?
If you’ve had no idea about Bibimbap, it’s an authentic Korean dish of rice and vegetables seasoned with eggs, meat, and many other toppings. The unique dish can be cooked using a stone bowl, so the surface becomes crispy and delicious, giving the food an extra dimension and color. It’s the most delightful bowl of food you can get.
TRY THESE AUTHENTIC BIBIMBAP RECIPES
Since I can’t find all the necessary ingredients or tools to make the traditional bibimbap recipe, I will share some hyperlinks to authentic recipes for Bibimbap so that you can experience what it’s all about in its splendor. Look over these traditional bibimbap recipes:
Bibimbap – My Korean Kitchen
Bibimbap – Maangchi (Youtube)
Bibimbap – Korean Bapsang
MY INTERPRETATION
As I said earlier, there weren’t all the ingredients or equipment usually used in bibimbap preparation, so I needed to be a bit inventive. I did not have a stone bowl, so I needed to sacrifice the crisp rice bottom. Additionally, I didn’t have any gochujang; therefore, I didn’t have that delicious sweet and salty sauce to serve over the top. I decided to add some Kimchi that isn’t generally served on bibimbap but was delicious.
MAKE YOUR BIBIMBAP YOUR OWN
The dish is very adaptable, and you can modify or add ingredients according to your preference. Pickled vegetables are plentiful in the bibimbap dish, so if you want to take a few extra minutes to pickle your cucumbers or carrots, don’t regret it. There are instructions for the best way to make pickled carrots and make the recipe for this recipe for cucumbers to help you pick the cucumbers.
It appears that plenty is going on in this bowl; I’m here to tell you that it’s straightforward and quick. If I had not stopped to snap photos every few minutes, I could have completed the preparation of the ingredients for the bowls in less than 30 minutes!
MEAL PREP IT!
Bibimbap is the perfect choice for meal preparation. You can pack four bowls in a resealable container and freeze your lunches. It is possible to fry eggs daily or replace the runny-yolk-fried egg with a hard-boiled egg.
INGREDIENTS
RICE
4 cups cooked jasmine rice ($0.75)
SAUTEED SPINACH
Half TBSP cooking oils ($0.02)
6 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed ($1.72)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.11)
Salt Pinch ($0.02)
CHILI GARLIC BEEF
1/2 1 lb ground beef ($1.99)
2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce ($0.13)
1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.09)
One tablespoon brown sugar ($0.04)
FRESH VEGETABLES
One carrot ($0.11)
One cube ($1.69)
Two green onions ($0.21)
OTHER TOPPERS
Four large eggs ($1.08)
1/4 cup Kimchi ($0.82)
1 Tbsp sesame seeds ($0.08)
INSTRUCTIONS
If your rice isn’t yet cooked, start that first. Then, prepare the other bowl ingredients while your rice is cooking. You’ll require 4 cups of cooked rice.
Make the spinach sauteed next. A large skillet is heated over medium heat, and add cook oil. Then, swirl the skillet to coat it with oil and add fresh spinach. Sauté the spinach for about a few minutes or until it’s soft. Pour the sesame oil over the top and sprinkle with salt and a pinch. Take the spinach from the skillet and place it in an empty bowl.
Incorporate the ground beef into the skillet that cooks the spinach. The meat should be cooked until cooked, adding the sauce with chili, soy, and brown sugar. Stir, and cook for around 1 minute until everything is blended and the beef is coated with sauce. Switch off the heat.
Make the vegetables fresh. Peel, then grate the carrots using the large cheese grater with a hole. Slice the cucumber thinly and cut and dice the onions green.
Fry or soft boil four large eggs. (Or whatever number of bowls you are planning to eat immediately. If you are meal prepping, prepare the eggs fresh every day.)
Create the bowls by adding 1 cup of cooked rice into the bowl, then add 1/4 of the cooked spinach as well as 1/4 of the ground beef, a few slices of cucumber, carrots shredded and a boiled egg, and a tablespoon or two of Kimchi. Sprinkle pieces of green onions and sesame seeds on the top. There aren’t any precise measurement requirements for each ingredient in a bowl. Just distribute the ingredients equally, or however you like.
