A.Korean Flavor: Bibimbap 비빔밥

Hello, this is my first attempt to reminisce of the Korean flavors that I miss so much.  It is also an attempt to recreate a taste of Korea in a town that has almost no Koreans nor Korean ingredients!

For the first Korean flavor, I'll talk about one of the most simple, but tasty meals:  Bibimbap.

Bibimbap is one of the most popular simple Korean dishes. The definition means a mixture of many things.  It can be served cold or in a hot pot. The term for the bibimbap served in a hot pot is called dolsot bibimbap.

What I love about this dish is that it is so healthy and tasty. You can use any kinds of vegetables and flavors you would like to add to your rice.

Here is a picture of a cold bibimbap I made a few months prior while I still had kimchi around.

You can make this dish by using rice and chopping up some of your favorite vegetables found at your local food store or farmer's market during the correct season!

First make the rice as directed on the package or by your rice cooker.

Then pull out your vegetables and begin chopping away. I will admit that it is a timely process, but it is well worth it for the colorful dish.

Here are some of the basic ingredients found in the bowl above:

• kimchi (of course, the staple to every korean diet!  however, if you  cannot find it in your area like myself or do not like,  leave it out!)
• seaweed (known as kim or 김 in korean and found in your local food store in the asian food aisle)
• dark lettuce
• asian cabbage
• carrots
• bean sprouts

After the rice is done cooking put a dollop of rice into the bowl.  Add all of the delicious ingredients above plus any of your own favorites.

To top it off, you can fry a delicious egg and plop it on.  To add some spice, you can add red bean paste (gochujang) to the mix. Then, there you have a it, a delicious mix of veggies and rice.  

It can be served in the bowl like the picture and should be mixed up before eating. 

When at a Korean restaurant, try ordering dolsot bibimbap, the food in a hot pot.  The rice and veggies get warm and the flavors are brought out in a whole new way.  

Enjoy your bibimbap!