It's been a rainy Saturday so I thought it's just perfect timing for one of those recipes that require a longer time to prepare. What a treat for someone who usually only has 30 minutes to whip up meals during the week.
Bibimbap is a Korean dish which literally means "mixed rice." The traditional one is usually served on a hot stone pot (pre-heated in the oven) with steamed rice, topped with "namul" (a mix of sauteed and seasoned vegetables) and a chilli paste called "gochujang." Other additions are raw or sunny side egg, meat or tofu. The ingredients are then stirred together before eating. This dish is nutritious and looks so colourful.
Every now and then, we would visit a Korean restaurant in the Uptown area of Toronto to eat bibimbap. Lately, I've been making my own homemade version and so I've finally decided share it. The ingredients are not written in stone and would really be all up to you. This is one of those that anyone can get creative on. I'm using tempeh with this mix and I pretty much did everything non-tradional. Sometimes, Austin even wants a different version by omitting the rice and substituting it with soba noodles. Some veggies can also be raw.
"Homemade Bibimbap"
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Maple ginger tempeh, recipe below
Pickled daikon radish and carrots, recipe below
1 cup black rice for cooking
Sautéed enoki mushrooms, recipe below
Sautéed shiitake or oyster mushrooms, recipe below
1 package bean sprouts, blanched
1 lb. baby bokchoy cleaned, washed and blanched
Boiling water for blanching
1 sheet nori, cut into strips
3 Tbsps. sesame seeds, roasted
Asian sesame sauce, recipe below or this option
Maple Ginger Tempeh
1 block organic tempeh (250 g.) cut into 5 strips
( I used this brand)
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. walnut oil
Marinade
2 Tbsp. Braggs liquid aminos, tamari or Nama shoyu
2 tsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1. Lay the tempeh strips in a glass container. Mix the marinade and pour over. Coat and marinate the slices for 1 hour and up to overnight.
2. Transfer the tempeh slices into a skillet and add the water. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium. Let them cook until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes, turning over once halfway thru cooking.
3. Add the oil then finalize cooking by browning at approximately 2 1/2 minutes each side.
4. Cut into smaller cubes before serving.
Quick Pickled Daikon Radish & Carrots
1 small daikon radish, julienned, about 2 cups
2 medium sized carrots julienned, about 2 cups
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. maple syrup
3 Tbsp. water, boiled then cooled down
2 cloves garlic, grated
1. Wash, peel and julienne the daikon and carrots. Transfer to a bowl and add the salt. Stir and leave for approximately 10 minutes to soften. Transfer to a colander or wire sieve and rinse in water. Squeeze and drain well.
2. Place the vegetables in a clean jar . Mix the pickling ingredients together and pour over. Best eaten after a day or two but they're good to go after 1 hour.
Sautéed Shiitake and Enoki Mushrooms
.75 - 1 lb. shiitake or oyster mushrooms, sliced
1 pack (150 g.) enoki mushrooms , bottom end cut
1/2 of a small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. chopped tomatoes
1/4 c. water
In a pan on medium heat, sauté the onions until soft, approximately 3 minutes then stir in the garlic and tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes soften. Add the shiitake mushrooms. Let them sweat then add the water. Stir and cook for about 8-10 minutes at which time the water will be absorbed. Move them to one side of the pan then add the oyster mushrooms on the other side. These will cook in 2 minutes with just the heat of the pan. Remove and transfer them to separate bowls.
Cooking the black rice: wash and soak the rice for 2 hours if time allows. In a saucepan, place the washed rice with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to low until water is absorbed, approximately 30-40 minutes.
Blanching the sprouts and greens: boil water in a medium sauce pan. Place the sprouts in a wire sieve then lower into boiling water for only 20 seconds. Transfer in a bowl with filtered cold water to stop it from cooking further. Drain and transfer to another bowl. In the same water, place the bokchoy and leave to blanch for 2 minutes then repeat the same cooling down process as the sprouts. Place in a bowl.
Dry roasting the sesame seeds: in a skillet on low heat, place the sesame seeds and let them roast until they turn fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.
Sauce:
3 Tbsp. Braggs liquid aminos or tamari
3 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp. grated garlic
1/4 tsp. grated ginger|
1 Tbsp. tsp. roasted sesame oil
Hot sauce to taste (I used this)
Assembly: in four bowls, place a serving of each ingredient. Add sauce and top with roasted sesame and nori strips. Stir before eating. Enjoy!
Other options: kimchi, tofu, zucchini, other greens like spinach, watercress or choysum.
I've been thinking that maybe next time I can make something sweet as my tendency is always on the savoury side. Freshncrunchy just turned one and I should be posting something celebratory like a cake, right? I'm hoping I can come up with a good one...desserts are a challenging projects to me. Wish me luck:)
Warmly,
Lina