Bibimbap with Korean Style Hamburger Patties

Like so many others I am in love with Bibimbap.  It really is the perfect meal.  When heating a stone bowl directly on the stove top the rice on the bottom of the bowl gets crunchy and is utterly delectable.  Along with the colorful vegetables layered over the rice and savory Korean style patties this is beautiful dish.  And any meal with a fried egg is at the top of my list.

I had never eaten Bibimbap until a few months ago when I had lunch with a friend at a local restaurant here on Maui.  We decided to share the Bibimbap and a lemon grass chicken sandwich.  The sandwich was tasty, but the Bibimbap was a revelation! Once that stunning Bibimbap arrived at our table I think we both secretly wished we didn’t have to share it. I did not realize the rice on the bottom of the stone pot would be crispy.  It really made the dish stand out.  It was a real dilemma when we had to split the fried egg!  We vowed that if we ever shared a serving of Bibimbap again, we would order it with two fried eggs.  So as you can see above, I had to have my own Dolsot stone bowls so that I could make Bibimbap at home.

Colorful vegetables are quickly cooked and seasoned.

These marinated bean sprouts are delicious.

Heat your stone bowl on the stove top, add a bit of oil, swirl and add some rice.  You’ll hear the rice sizzle as it hits the bowl.  Pat the rice gently against the heated bowl. Let it go for a while then add more rice and your prepared vegetables and meat or tofu to warm up.

Lastly, fry an egg sunny side up and place on top of your heated Bibimbap.  Serve with kimchi on the side. Most recipes call for gochuchang sauce but I love Sriracha so I used it instead.

The crunchy rice is addicting!

Bibimbap with Korean Style Hamburger Patties

Serves two as a side dish or one hungry appetite

Ingredients

 1 cup uncooked short grain white rice

Bean Sprouts

1 bag (10 ounces) bean sprouts – rinsed

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

dash of salt

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon Korean chili flakes (optional)

2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds

Mushrooms

4 large shiitake mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

salt to taste

Zucchini

1/2 medium green zucchini

1/2 medium yellow zucchini

1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

salt to taste

Spinach

3 ounces fresh spinach

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Carrot

1/2 small carrot

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

Toppings

1 – 2 large eggs

Korean style hamburger patties (optional)

Preparation

Cook the rice and set aside until ready to use.

In a medium saucepan (3 qt. works well) bring 6 – 7  cups of water to a boil.  Add rinsed bean sprouts and blanch for 3 minutes.  Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.  Place sprouts on paper towels or a kitchen towel and press out some of the water.  In a medium bowl add bean sprouts, minced garlic, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, Korean chili flakes if using and roasted sesame seeds.  Stir to combine.  The sprouts can be made earlier in the day and stored in the refrigerator.

Remove the stems and wipe the mushrooms clean.  Slice into thin strips and sauté in a bit of canola oil until the mushrooms become soft.  Add the garlic, sauté for another minute and remove from the stove top.  Stir in sesame oil and sesame seeds and season with salt.

Julienne the zucchini into long, thin strips using only the outer, colorful portion.  Heat a bit of canola oil in a small skillet and cook for just a minute to slightly soften the strips.  Stir in sesame seeds and season with salt.

In a small skillet blanch the spinach for 1 minute until wilted.  Squeeze out the excess water and stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Julienne the carrot into long, thin strips.  Briefly sauté with garlic and sesame oil.  Season with salt.

The first time I used the bowl I soaked it in room temperature water for 5 minutes then placed it on the stove on medium heat to warm up.  I slowly adjusted the heat higher (between medium and medium high) and once hot added about 1 teaspoon of canola oil and coated the bottom and lower sides of the bowl.  (Please follow the heating instructions that come with your specific stone bowl).

Add enough rice to the heated bowl to cover the bottom of the bowl.  Press gently with a spatula.  You should hear the rice sizzle on the hot bowl.  Cook the rice for about 5 minutes and check to see if the rice is crunchy by lifting up a portion with a spoon.  The rice should have a light golden toasted color to it.  Once this happens, add more rice and top with vegetables and Korean style patties if using.  Placing the vegetables in alternating colors makes for a gorgeous rice dish.

Fry your egg sunny side up.  Place on top of the heated Bibimbap and serve with kimchi and Sriracha.

***There are so many variations of this dish. You don’t need to stick with specific vegetables or meat and can easily adjust the recipe to your liking.  Make it vegetarian by using tofu instead of meat.