Since coming to Korea, I have eaten so much bibimbab ("mixed rice"), that it's practically my major. There's sanchae bibimbab (wild veggies only), dolsot bibimbab (served sizzling in a hot stone pot), regular bibimbab (room temp, usually served in a metal bowl), jeonju bibimbab (based on high-quality royal court cuisine, served in a brass bowl)... and then ofcourse, there are all kinds of variations, depending on which Korean side dishes are included. YUMMY!! It's definitely my 'go-to meal' when I have to eat out with non-veg folk. You can find it everywhere, it's cheap, fast, and veg-friendly. All I have to do is ask them not to include the fried egg that usually comes on top, and I'm golden. Some fancy places include ground meat, but I find that to be pretty uncommon.
It's actually a wonder that I haven't gotten sick of bibimbab yet. Maybe it's a sign that I've been in Korea for too long, but there are days when I eat bibimbab at a restaurant for lunch, and then go home and make it for dinner. I am always down for bibimbab. There's just something so comforting about it, not to mention convenient. Forget flat plates with the food all neatly separated- so overrated. Go with a big bowl and just Sir-Mix-Alot everything together! Here's some bibimbab that I've made:
pre-mix: rice, cooked eggplants, spinach, sesame seed leaves, and gochujang
post-mix
pre-mix: various leafy greens, corn, marinated mushrooms cooked with onions and red peppers.
post-mix
There are times when my homemade bibimbabs don't always look like bibimbab. I put less rice than they do at restaurants, so sometimes it just looks like salad. ha. Also, when I'm not in the mood for spicy food, I leave out the gochujang (Korean red pepper paste). Maybe you can no longer call it 'bibimbab' without the gochujang, but it's still good, especially with a few drops of sesame seed oil. And last, when my fridge is bordering on empty (or I'm just lazy), I only have 2 or 3 ingredients in my bibimbab. Simple and maybe boring, but good enough for me.
rice, carrots, cilantro & parsley
Rice, mushrooms, onions, and corn
