I subscribe to Bon Appetit magazine, and it’s one of my guilty pleasures!   Sitting on the couch and delving into the latest issue with nothing to distract me is pure loveliness.  Some of my all time favorite dishes have come from this beloved mag.  This pizza especially has been a favorite, as well as many other recipes.  There is always a recipe or two, and sometimes three that get ripped out of the magazine and make their way into my bulging recipe book to be cooked sometime in the near future.  Well this Korean Bibimbap recipe made it all of two days before it was a must to be made at my house.  This is how it went.  I sat down and read the mag, and consequently ripped a few pages out from between the covers.  Those said pages made it to the kitchen where my oldest son saw them and immediately BEGGED for this recipe to be made.  I will say I was smitten as soon as I saw the picture of this dish, but I didn’t quite expect the reaction I got from my kids.  So needless to say I made the recipe the next day, and dang it, it was a HUGE hit!!  If I can just say, it was soooooo stinking good!!   As James was eating he said, “This is definately a keeper.  Something you need to make quite often.”  Exact words!  We loved it.

My brothers and their families are going to be making the trek to my house in the next few weeks for our annual Chinese New Year festivities.  With a husband, two brothers, and a sister-in-law who all served LDS missions to Taiwan, and an adorable niece, and nephew who were adopted from Vietnam we ALWAYS celebrate the Chinese New Year.  It’s usually full of pot stickers from Taiwan, Mango Rice from Thailand, maybe some Pho from Vietnam this year as well as this Bibimbap from Korea.  I’m definately putting Bibimbap on the menu:)  Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Bibimbap:

Bibimbap (비빔밥, Korean pronunciation: [pibimp͈ap̚][1]) is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means “mixed rice”. Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.[2] It can be served either cold or hot.

Well we ate it hot, and it was splendid.  There is nothing strange, odd, or weird in this recipe.   Just a wonderful mix of fresh veggies, meat and rice.  Amazing!!  I can honestly say I have never had anything Korean before.  I’m a little scared of Kimchi, but who knows, maybe I’ll try some.  Since Bibimbap is so good I’m sure Kimchi would be too.

Korean Bibimbap
recipe from Bon Appetit (Thanks for a FANTASTIC recipe!)

(Click on this link to take you to Bon Appetit’s site.  From there you can click on other links for all the veggie recipe.)

Ingredients
Meat
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup finely grated Asian pear with juices
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon raw or brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger
1 pound thinly sliced (1/8-inch) boneless beef rib-eye steak or short ribs
Crisp Rice and Assembly
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
8 cups steamed sushi rice or mixed grain rice (from 2 1/2 cups dry rice)

Bibimbap Mix-Ins Click here for a link to all the veggie recipes.

(Sesame-Pepper Bean Sprouts, Sesame Carrots, Garlicky Spinach, Soy-Glazed Shiitake Mushrooms, Sauteéd Zucchini, Scallion Slaw, Wakame, Gochujang Date Sauce)
8 fried eggs
Kimchi

Preparation

Meat

Whisk first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef; toss to coat. Cover; chill for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
Crisp Rice and Assembly
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add rice; pat out in an even layer. Cook, rotating skillet for even browning (do not stir), until rice is golden and crisp on bottom, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add one-quarter of beef and cook, turning once, until cooked through and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat in 3 batches with remaining oil and beef.
Divide rice among bowls. Top with beef, Bibimbap Mix-Ins, and eggs. Serve kimchi alongside.