Bibimbap /ˈbēbimˌbap/ Literal translation: mixed rice. A Korean dish consisting of sautéed vegetables, chili paste, meat (usually beef), often topped with a raw or fried egg. If you are new to Korean cooking and ask Google what you should try, Bibimbap is always on the list. Often peoples first foray into Korean food, Bibimbap is a symphony Korean flavors made with familiar ingredients.
A few weeks ago while our Korean friend Sarah was in town, I was desperate for some new recipes to cook. I was in the mood for some type of marinated meat that I could eat alongside rice. What she made was so tasty that I couldn’t wait to recreate it myself. She made a marinated beef recipe which was sweet and spicy and had me wanting to cry with how good it tasted.
You’ve probably heard the term Bibimbap a lot recently, as Korean cooking is becoming ever popular, however, like most of Korean dishes, there are various styles of Bibimbap. The first we were introduced to was Yukhoe-Bibimbap (비빔밥), or raw beef Bibimbap, where the beef is served in a similar manner as tartare. Another popular version is the Dolsot-Bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥). Here the dish is served in a hot stone which results in crispy rice once you reach the bottom of your bowl, and though we haven’t had the good fortune of trying this style yet, you can bet it’s on our list.
Bibimbap seemed like the perfect dish to try with the marinated beef recipe. The only thing left to do was to decide on toppings and believe me there are many tasty options. After much debate, we finally landed on carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, fishcake, perilla leaves, some cooked egg, and of course, kimchi. So while my sister took care of the rice, I started in on the beef. The first step was to slice it as thin as possible and prep the marinade which consists of thinly sliced onions and scallions, red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger. Added to that is our wet ingredients; soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar and Yujacha (a tea base of similar consistency to a jelly made from Yuja fruit).
While the meat was marinating, I moved on to prepping the vegetables. I julienned both the carrot and zucchini, and sliced the mushrooms as well as the fish cake. Meanwhile, my sister had skillfully and efficiently gotten the rice cooking (it’s always her job and she’s mastered it quite well) and had also cooked an egg in a crêpe pan so it was a thin round sheet. I took the cooked egg, rolled it up and sliced it into thin ribbons. Lastly I chiffonaded the perilla leaves, and the kimchi was cut down to size.
With everything prepped and ready to go, it was time to get cooking. The marinated beef went into a hot skillet to sauté. The fishcake was seared off in a dry skillet until crispy, then sprinkled with a pinch of sugar. Carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms were individually seared in a little sesame oil. Next up was the assembly of the dish which is honestly the best part (aside from eating it, of course). The bowl is filled with some rice, and then each component is artfully and delicately placed around the bowl so they can all be seen.
The key here is to separate any like colors, so don’t put your kimchi next to the carrots, or the zucchini next to the perilla leaves. Make sure that everything looks beautiful and balanced. The final touch is a raw egg yolk right in the center. Yes, consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, so do so at your own risk. In Korea and Japan, however, raw egg yolks are incredibly common as a garnish or meal. Personally I like the raw egg yolk for its creaminess and because by the time you mix it into the hot rice and other ingredients it gets slightly cooked. Using fresh eggs for this is best, and definitely do not eat raw egg yolks that are weeks old. Again I say in unequivocal terms, do this at your own risk. Should you choose not to go with a raw egg yolk, another option is to do a fried egg. It will give you the same runny egg sensation but also help to quell any fears you might harbor about using raw yolk.
As always, our meal was served with some banchan, as well as a Classic Gochujang Sauce recipe we found on the My Korean Kitchen blog. In the end, the dish was fantastic! Sarah’s marinated beef was the perfect addition to our bibimbap. The one thing we decided was, in the future we would omit the red pepper flakes from the beef recipe if used again for the bibimbap, as we found the dish just on the cusp of being too spicy when also paired with the gochujang sauce.
Having eaten it a number of times and now made it myself, I can say that the best things about Bibimbap are this; It’s easy to make, you can use whatever you have in your fridge, and it looks absolutely beautiful no matter what you use to make it. It’s the perfect dish for trying to use up some ingredients that are going to go bad soon and there are no difficult cooking techniques. Anyone with some rice, veg, and will power can make this dish and savor it’s deliciousness and it can make even the newest homecook look like an expert to friends. It’s a popular dish for a reason and one that I highly recommend you try.
Sarah’s Korean Marinated Beef
Dry Marinade
1 lb Beef (Top loin steak, Sirloin or something good for stir-fry applications), Sliced very thin (1/8” - 1/4” thick)
1/2 Small Yellow Onion, Sliced thin
1 Scallion, Sliced Thin
1/2 T. Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/2 t. Fresh Ginger, Grated
Salt & Pepper to taste
Wet Marinade
3 1/2 T. Soy Sauce
1 1/2 T. Mirin
2 T. Brown Sugar
1/2 - 1 T. Yujacha (Substitute Apricot Jam if unavailable)
Prepare all ingredients as directed above. In a dish, combine the dry marinade ingredients and massage into the beef. Add the wet marinade ingredients and massage again to combine. Cover and plate in the fridge for 30 - 45 minutes. Remove from fridge and allow to rest on the counter for 10 minutes. Cook over medium - high heat until beef is cooked through, and the sauce has reduced slightly.
Lagniappe of the Day: To aid in slicing your beef thinly, pop the steak into the freezer for 30 - 45 minutes prior to cutting. This will help firm it up and make it easier to slice. When you go to slice your meat, be sure to slice against the grain. This will make for a more tender cut, which results in easier eating!
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