My Vegetarian Bibimbap – Korean Mixed Rice Bowl

I’ve definitely mentioned this before, but I really really love Asian food. I love it for so many reasons: its spiciness, freshness, overwhelming amount of vegetables, rice, noodles, hearty soups… all that good stuff! If I had to pick a top-3, I would probably go for Japanese, Vietnamese, and Korean (in no particular order).

Another great thing about Asian food, is that contrary to many “foreign” cuisines, you can find some of the best dishes in the the most unassuming restaurants. Never judge a book by its cover! On campus, we have this really great Korean place, located at the end of a creepy parking lot. There’s really no reason to venture there unless you know what you’re looking for. So unsurprisingly, most people don’t go unless they hear about it from word of mouth. However, Koreana is a little gem in University City. Their menu is comprehensive and all the classics are offered at very reasonable prices. It’s one of my favorite places to go to for a quick casual meal.

My favorite thing to order there, is their hot-pot Bibimbap, which translates to something like “mixed rice with meat and assorted vegetables”. This rice dish is often made with raw beef and a cracked egg on top. It comes out of the kitchen in a steaming hot-stone bowl, which keeps the rice and meat cooking while you eat. If you’re lucky (or have the technique), you might get some crispy rice left at the bottom of the pot once you’re done. (Hint: that’s the best part!)

Unfortunately, I don’t have a hot-pot to make the original dish at my house, so I took some liberties with it. I used the veggies I had in my fridge, which turned out for the best. Soy-sauce marinated portobello mushrooms and chard are both unreal. So sure it’s not the real deal, but it’s pretty great too! My “easy” Korean Bibimbap, can accommodate anyone and any fridge. From now on when the restaurant is closed, or if I feel like staying in, I know I can still get my fix of Korean food from the comfort of my kitchen! Bon appétit!

ps: make sure to mix it really well like on this before/after photo! That’s when all the flavors come together.

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Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup dried brown rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 portobello cap
• 2 Swiss chard leaves
• 1 carrot
• 1/4 zucchini (or cucumber)
• 1 scallion
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• sriracha
• toasted sesame oil

Directions:

1. Cover the rice with the water and let it cook until all the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, prepare all the other vegetables. Using a vegetable peeler, make ribbons with the carrot. Slice the zucchini in very thin disks. Add both to a bowl and cover with boiling water, a good glug of soy sauce, and a drop of rice vinegar (to soften them and give them a slight flavor).
3. Slice the portobello mushroom and roughly chop the Swiss chard. Toss both with the soy sauce so that they are well coated and add them to a large hot pan. Let the chard wilt and the mushrooms brown. When they are done, move them to the side of the pan.
4. Crack the egg in the pan, and let it fry, sunny-side up.
5. To serve, start with the rice, top with the soy mushrooms and chard, the drained “pickled” carrots and zucchini, and the fried egg. Garnish with the minced scallion, and a good drizzle of sriracha. Enjoy!

TIP: You can really customize this dish with whatever you have on hand. Substitute spinach, baby bok choy or kale for the chard, cucumber for zucchini, radish for carrots, add kimchi and so on. Add minced cooked beef or pork for a meaty option and so on! 

 

Temps total: 30 minutes

Ingrédients: 

• 1/4 tasse de riz brun
• 1/2 tasse d’eau
• 1 oeuf
• 3-4 champignons de Paris
• 2 blettes
• 1 carotte
• 1/4 courgette (ou concombre)
• 1 oignon vert
• 2 c.s de sauce soja
• sriracha
• huile de sésame

Etapes:

1. Dans une casserole à feu moyen, recouvrez le riz avec l’eau, portez à ébullition et laissez cuire jusqu’à ce que toute l’eau soit absorbée (environ 15 minutes).
2. Pendant ce temps, préparez les légumes. A l’aide d’un économe, faites des rubans de carotte. Tranchez la courgette en disques très fins. Ajoutez le tout dans un bol et recouvrez d’eau bouillante. Ajoutez un bon filet de sauce soja, et un peu de vinaigre de riz. Laissez reposer le temps de préparer le reste.
3. Tranchez les champignons et les blettes. the portobello mushroom and roughly chop the Swiss chard. Toss both with the soy sauce so that they are well coated and add them to a large hot pan. Let the chard wilt and the mushrooms brown. When they are done, move them to the side of the pan.
4. Crack the egg in the pan, and let it fry, sunny-side up.
5. To serve, start with the rice, top with the soy mushrooms and chard, the drained “pickled” carrots and zucchini, and the fried egg. Garnish with the minced scallion, and a good drizzle of sriracha. Enjoy!

TIP: You can really customize this dish with whatever you have on hand. Substitute spinach, baby bok choy or kale for the chard, cucumber for zucchini, radish for carrots, add kimchi and so on. Add minced cooked beef or pork for a meaty option and so on! 

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