Bilimbap

OK....just to start right from the beginning of this post, this is not something that can be whipped up with ingredients on hand.  Nor can it be made for a really quick and effortless dinner.  But, with a bit of preparation ahead of time it would come together quickly.  And, it was delicious so it was worth the work (even with my shortcut).  So, I would make this again.  I made it on a Friday night after work....starting around 6:15 and we were eating by 7:30; however, that was with a bit of assistance.

This was in the January issue of Bon Appetit; however, I wasn't able to find it online to link to this post; possibly that will be out in the future.  Then you can see some really nice pictures.  I just didn't have time to take pictures along the way since we were all hungry (some of us had done a double swim practice).

Here's my shortcut.  I had the meat, bulgogi, in my freezer from Trader Joe's.  It was a great use for it....if there's a TJs near you I would recommend doing that as well.  There was an unusual ingredient found in a number of the vegetables (although I will explain what I did a bit later), guchujang.  Bon Appetit recommends a "recipe" to make a substitute for that using miso and rooster sauce, so that was my plan until Paul told me he had gotten some guchujang sauce at an Asian market in the Twin Cities last year.  Really!  That worked out well.  Like I said, this isn't likely something to just make with ingredients you have on hand.  It falls into the category of adventurous cooking.  Follow the link above for a recipe for bulgogi, if you're even more adventurous than I am.  I can't speak to anything about the recipe linked other than it looks like mine did.

Having never had bilimbap in my life, I had no idea what it was and the headline in the magazine to "make it at home" was lost on me.  But, now I have done it!  Some of the portions of items in the original recipe were a bit too large so I used 1/2 for most of them.  My approximate portions are listed below. I also kept the chili sauce out of the vegetables, being the crowd pleaser that I am:)

• So, saute the meat.
• In my rice cooker I made the rice.  I got this going right away since it needs to be crisped in the skillet before eating.  It took about 15 minutes for the already cooked rice to crisp in the skillet.
• I didn't make the eggs until the end.  I used the method in Bon Appetit of baking them in a 350 degree oven for 4-5 minutes.  
• Sesame Carrots:  Shred carrots(about 4 carrots) in a food processor and saute in sesame oil (1 tsp) for a couple minutes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Sesame Bean Sprouts: Cooked 1 c bean sprouts in boiling water and drained.  Tossed with 1/2 tsp sesame oil and sesame seeds. 
• Garlicky Spinach: Cook 10 oz fresh spinach in boiling water for a couple minutes.  Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water.  Drain.  Heat 1 tsp sesame oil in skillet.  Add 1 clove minced garlic.  Add spinach, 1 T soy sauce, 1/2 t rice vinegar, dash each of salt and pepper. 
• Soy glazed mushrooms:  Bring 1 oz shitake mushrooms, 1/4 soy sauce, 1/2 T brown sugar, and 1/2 c water to a boil.  Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes.  Let mushrooms cool slightly and thinly slice.  Transfer to a small bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Sauteed zucchini: Cut 1 medium zucchini into matchsticks.  Saute in 1 tsp-2tsp sesame oil until tender. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Scallion slaw: Cut 2 bunches scallions into 3" lengths and slice lengthwise.  Put in ice water to crisp.  Drain and add 1 T rice vinegar, 1 T sesame oil.
• Gochujang Date Sauce:  Place 5 pitted dates in a bowl and cover with water until softened (10 minutes or so).  Drain and put in food processor with 3/4 c guchujang sauce and 2 T sesame oil.
• Wakame:  I did not make this recommended condiment.  But, I did make all the others.

So, if you don't happen to have gochujang sauce in your pantry, the article recommends 3/4 c yellow miso with 1/4 c Sriracha sauce.  Even if you don't have those items in your larder, at least they may be easier to get than the Korean hot pepper paste I happened to have!

So, I went all out and made this since it was our 21st wedding anniversary and it was fun to have something a bit special; however, I think that next time I will use the TJs beef, make the rice, fried eggs, whatever vegetables I have on hand, and the date sauce.  Oh, and maybe the mushrooms.  This would be a great way to use up vegetable odds and ends.