bibimbap (비빔밥)

In this week's Epicure; a weekly pull out food section in The Age on Tuesday, the recipe section featured Korean recipes by Jill Dupleix. To be honest, I am very much anti-Korean dramas / k-pop etc just got killed by many Korean fangirls / fanboys but definitely not the food (even though I can't handle hot foods).

I made a few changes to Dupleix's recipe though and made use of what I had at home. The best two moments I had when making this when I got the flavour I wanted for the vinegar in one shot I was literally laughing when I tasted it and of course, eating the finished product :P

Make sure to add the picked carrots with the rice bowl. The flavour is awesome!

***

pickled carrots my style
original recipe by me

ingredients:
makes 2 sides serving

• 1 large carrot
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 Tb mirin （味醂）
• 2 Tb white vinegar
• 2 tsp sake（酒）
• 1 Tb castor sugar

method:

1. Peel the carrot and julienne using a grater or knife. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 10 minutes. Rinse the carrots and squeeze dry. Leave aside.

2. Put the mirin, vinegar, sake and sugar into a small saucepan. Dissolve the sugar and bring to a brief boil. Add the carrots and turn off heat.

3. Leave carrots to soak in the liquid for a few hours to get rid of the raw carrot taste.

4. Refrigerate after liquids have cooled.

***
stir fried beef with onions and bok choy leaves
slightly adapted from Jill Dupleix - Bibimbap with beef and onions

• Before making this, cook 1 cup of rice per two people using a rice cooker.

ingredients:
serves 2

• 100 g sliced beef
  (marinated in salt, pepper, drizzle of sesame oil, 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tsp corn starch, 1 tsp vegetable oil)
• 1/4 of a large onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, diced finely
• 1/2 Tb raw sugar
• 1/2 Tb la dou ban jiang (辣豆瓣酱)
  (I substituted kochujang with la dou ban jiang)
• 1 Tb soy sauce
• Bok choy leaves from 1 bok choy, washed and cut into squares
  (reserve the stems for something else)
• vegetable oil for stir frying

1. Mix the marinated beef with sliced onions, garlic, sugar, la dou ban jiang and soy sauce. Leave for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat a small wok and coat with oil. Pour the excess in a bowl. Add the marinated beef and onions and quickly stir. When the beef is half cooked, add the bok choy leaves and stir again. Cover for 1 minute or until bok choy leaves are wilted. Stir and turn off heat.

***

To assemble:

• cooked rice
• stir fried beef with onions and bok choy leaves
• 1 raw egg yolk

Fill a bowl with the amount of rice you will be eating, top with beef and egg yolk. Add picked carrots and stir with chopsticks or with a spoon. YUMMY!

If you are wondering why there are corn kernels in the rice, I added them in when I cooked the rice.