It almost feels like a sham to be posting any sort of new recipe for bibimbap. Seriously, the process is so straightforward and the skill level required so minimal (cut things into itty bitty pieces) it seems silly to say I have any new insight into this. "Bibimbap" literally means "mixed (bibim-) rice (bap)". As long as you have rice and something to throw in there to mix around then you essentially can claim you made this well-loved Korean staple.
But I understand. You want traditional Korean bibimbap, that wonderful hot, salty, sweet, spicy, garlicy, and nutty taste sensation in your mouth. I get it. It's going to require a few more ingredients but the basic principle remains the same: mix in some sh*t with rice.
The key ingredient in that yummy bowlful you get at the restaurant is gochijang.
That red pepper paste that give it its spicy, sweet kick. It is probably the only ingredient that might cause you to have to go a little out of your way to get. But honestly, Korean food has because so au courant it's becoming less and less of a big deal to get. I live smack in the middle of Pennsylvania (affectionately referred to as "Pennsyltucky") and I am a twenty minute walk away from 3 stores that carry it.
SO. I wanted to make dolsot bibimbap in all of its crispy rice glory the other night without having to commit to purchasing one of those heavy stone bowls you're served dolsot bibimbap in at restaurants. And that's when it came to me. Hmm, something big and heavy that can retain piping hot heat long after it's been taking off of the stove, hmmm. Then OMG DUH A CAST IRON SKILLET. I doubt I'm the first one to ever come up with this brilliant nugget but I managed to come across it without even a little help from the internet so let me just have it, dear Reader. Let me just have it.
Now, on the the actually cooking.
I am going to present you with a recipe I used to make this particular bibimbap you see in these pics with stuff I had lying around in the fridge but I want you to use this as a mere outline. As far as veggies and the protein go, any of them can be omitted and replaced. Don't know what to do with that chicken you bought? Use that instead of beef. Vegetarian? Use some firm tofu instead. Or make it all veggie. Have some green beans leftover from last night? Throw them in. Want kale instead of spinach? Go bananas (but don't actually put in bananas. Oy.).
Dolsot Bibimbap in a Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients:
- Gochujang
- About 1 1/2 - 2 cups of white short grained rice
- Sesame oil
- Sesame seeds
- Soy sauce
- A big handful of spinach
- A handful of mung bean sprouts (soy bean sprouts are more commonly used)
- Carrot
- Daikon
- Yellow squash (or zucchini)
- 5-7 dried shiitake mushrooms
- half a pound of protein (I'm using some leftover steak) cut into bite sized pieces
- wee bit of sugar
- ground black pepper
1) Cook rice in preferred method.
2) Soak the mushrooms in some water until fully hydrated (about half an hour). Drain.
3) Put the bean spouts and a couple of cups of water into a pot and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until desired doneness. Drain and mix in a bowl with a little drizzle of sesame oil, a few shakes of soy sauce, the tiniest pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of black pepper. Set aside.
4) Anything raw and leafy like spinach will be lightly blanched in some boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse, and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze all the excess water out. Squeeze. Wrapping it in a dish towel helps. Place in bowl and again mix with a little drizzle of sesame oil, a couple of drops of soy sauce, the tiniest pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of black pepper. Set aside.
5) Now for my favorite part: chop anything that is not leafy or sprouty up into little matchsticks. I believe the technical term is to julienne (So your carrot, daikon, squash, mushrooms). Don't worry about how it looks, what you call "sucking at julienne," I call "rustico cooking."
6) Lightly saute your matchsticked veggies individually in a med hot pan with half a tablespoon sesame oil and tiny pinch of salt each time (sesame oil is pretty strong in flavor so a little goes a long way. add a little mild tasting vegetable oil if you find yourself needing more fat to cook with) for about 3-5 minutes until al dente. Not looking for any sort of sear, just want to cook it barely through. Set aside.
7) Mix beef with a good drizzle of sesame oil, half a tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, pinch of salt and pepper. Saute in hot pan until cooked through. Set aside.
Now for the "dolsot" part.
8) Get yourself a cast iron skillet. I used a 9 inch one. Coat it with a good amount of sesame oil (2 tablespoons at least) on the bottom and sides. Using a paper towel to spread the oil around helps.
8) Add rice to pan and start lightly pressing it down. More rice touching the pan now means more delicious crunchy rice for you to eat later. Make sure it gets all of the bottom and sides.
9) Arrange all the toppings you worked hard to make in aesthetically pleasing manner on top. Put a good dollop of gochujang on, as well as, if so inclined, an egg (raw, sunny side up, poached, doesn't matter).
10) Now set on your stove top on medium high heat. In about a few minutes you will hear it start to crackle. Let it go like that for an additional 2 minutes or so I say. You are aiming to get the pan as hot as possible without it burning anything. The oil will help in preventing that but it's ultimately a matter of how well you know your own stove. If you are feeling anxious it's better to pull off the heat sooner rather than later. It's pretty much like making microwave popcorn.
11) When you are convinced it is hot enough, immediately take off the stove and onto a trivet. It should still be sizzling just like at a restaurant. Drizzle a little more sesame oil on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Call everyone to the table now, now, now and mix everything in the pan up (CAREFULLY!). Use a metal spatula to help scrap the rice off the bottom. Serve family style. Have some more gochujang and sesame oil on hand to suit everyone's individual tastes. Enjoy!
 |
| Not normally an advocate of eating while watching TV but that Orange is the New Black is mighty addictive. |
P.S. This is the first recipe of any sort I've posted online so let me know if you have any questions or comments. I know the pictures included in the actual recipe are annoying if you want to print it out so if anyone asks I'll make a simple printout version of this post as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment