The Korean staple bibimbap is often a quick lunch special at barbecue restaurants here in Japan, but it can take many forms. The name literally means ¡°mixed rice¡± ¡ª the equivalent of Japanese maze-gohan and need not contain meat (though leaving the egg on top out of the equation is a sacrilege).
Like the humble onigiri (rice ball), there are common bibimbap toppings but no hard and fast rules, with much coming down to seasonality and personal preference. That goes for the rice, too ¡ª here, I use basmati making it even easier to mix.
Nearly three years ago, I shared a bibim mandu recipe. Meaning ¡°mixed dumplings,¡± these are unfilled, fried wrappers used to make mixed salad rolls. For a substantial lunch, packing in some rice is perfect ¡ª and it need not be short grain Japonica. Long-grain basmati rice takes more water in the rice cooker, but its lack of stickiness can make for easier mixing.
With broccoli florets as part of our topping, we can also make a quick pickle of the stalk, meaning this meal is practically without waste. For accompanying ruffage, I grabbed whatever looked good at my local farmer¡¯s market, which happened to be carrot, turnips and an avocado. Use whatever you like, from standard kimchi to bean sprouts.
Serves 2
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 150 grams basmati rice
- 1 small head broccoli
- 50 milliliters rice vinegar
- 10 milliliters sesame oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 pack broccoli sprouts
- Assorted vegetables of your choosing
- 50 grams gochujang chili paste
- Optional: 10 grams chili crisp
Directions:
1. Rinse your rice until the water runs clear, then cook in the rice cooker using the white rice function but with water filled to the brown rice 1-cup line.
2. Cut your broccoli head into florets and julienne the stalk. Heat your vinegar in a small pot to boil, turn off the heat and add the cut broccoli stalk to steep in the hot liquid.
3. In a hot fry pan, stir-fry the broccoli in your sesame oil, then fry your eggs sunny-side up, adding more oil if needed.
4. Portion your rice in two large bowls, then top with the broccoli, drained stalks (vinegar reserved), cut sprouts and any other vegetables. Finish with your egg on top.
5. Mix a little of the reserved vinegar from the stalks to thin down the gochujang and pour over the top, adding optional chili crisp as desired.
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