Bi Bim Bop, American Style
Monday, June 8th, 2009I did not recognize the simple genius of Bi Bim Bop until later in life. The year before college, I worked in a family-owned Korean restaurant that offered a Bi Bim Bop lunch buffet during the week. It was $6 per person, all-you-can-eat, and probably the worst shift a wait-person could imagine; a lot of running, drinks and bussing, the whole time knowing a 20% tip of $1.20 was a high average. At this time, the thought of Bi Bim Bop produced a negative reaction in me. Today, I often dream of finding a place that would offer such a buffet.
Bi Bim Bop is a traditional Korean meal. It’s comprised of a bed of rice and a variety of panchan: watercress, cucumber, mung bean sprouts, dorachi (bellflower root), sometimes mushrooms and julienned carrots. Bulgogi style beef or tofu, fried egg and kochu jang (red pepper paste) top it off. Mix it all up and compose perfect bites of sticky rice, earthy vegetables, silky egg yolk, and sweet/salty meat at your level of spice.
It was in college, perhaps due to lack of budget and tools, I began creating my own, poor woman’s version of Bi Bim Bop at home – rice with fried egg and hot sauce. It sounds very unfortunate but it was, and still is, great comfort food to me. It also was a great hangover meal and revived me many a morning past college. Throughout the years I have added some elements so it truly resembles Bi Bim Bop. Although I cannot say it is authentic Korean, it is balanced, flavorful, easy and inexpensive – my homage to Bi Bim Bop.
- Marinate beef (flank/sirloin..) in soy, sesame oil, rice vinegar with garlic, green onion, salt, pepper and brown sugar.
- De-seed cucumber and slice thinly, add rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt & pepper.
- I actually use frozen spinach – thaw and drain all liquid (I squeeze it out with my hand). Add rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt & pepper.
- Steam rice, I use Jasmine rice. I suppose brown is healthy and would work, I just can’t get down with it.
- Cook meat stir-fry style. We only marinated/waited a few hours but the meat had enough time in the marinade to absorb the flavors.
- Fry egg to your taste.
- Composed pre-egg.
- Composed with egg.
- Hot sauced, mixed and ready to eat.
