Bibimbap

From bottom left to right: beef, enoki mushrooms, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts. Middle: egg, sunny side up.

Lately, I've been in desperate need to eat more veggies at home but quite bored with just sauteing vegetables. A thought just came over me and suddenly I was in the mood for Bibimbap, a Korean dish consisting of rice, mixed vegetables, and often served with beef and egg (raw, over easy, or sunny side up). Korean food is definitely not in my cooking comfort zone so I browsed online to find a Bibimbap recipe from an expert.

I was delighted to find a video tutorial made by a Korean girl on how to make Bibimbap. You can find the full recipe and how-to video on her blog, Maangchi, that's dedicated to cooking Korean food and learning about Korean culture. She's totally adorable and I really enjoyed watching the step-by-step instruction. And I was surprised how simple it is to make Bibimbap. It does take some time to prep and cook the different veggies and beef but really, all you need are these basic seasonings: sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt. It's all a matter of using different combinations and proportions depending on which side dish you're making.

Since I decided to make Bibimbap on a whim, I didn't have all the ingredients on hand. What I love about cooking is the freedom to improvise and be creative! :) I was missing zucchini, gosari (fern bracken), and ground beef. I had some enoki mushrooms so I decided to use them to substitute for the gosari. I've never had gosari so it is definitely going on my "to-try" list next time I go to a Korean market. I also had a couple of thin slices of beef round steak so I diced them to mimic the ground beef.

Hubby and my mother-in-law were quite impressed with the colorful presentation and of course gave two thumb's up for taste. I absolutely loved how everything turned out and so happy to find another yummy way to eat veggies at home.

Sweet and Sour EoMuk (Korean Fried Fish Cake)

The other day I was on a quest to use up things I had in the freezer before going to the market to buy more stuff. I found a package of EoMuk which is Korean fried fish cake. They're thin, flat, and square-shaped. I'm not too familiar with authentic Korean cooking and really needed to prepare something quick and easy so I decided to turn them into a sweet and sour stir fry dish. I added chili sauce to make it a little spicy.

Makes 6-8 servings

5 sheets fried fish cake (cut into triangles)
1 large carrot (peeled and cut diagonally)
1 red bell pepper (sliced)
1 shallot (finely diced)
2 T. sugar
2 T. ketchup
1 T. chili sauce
1 t. soy sauce
2 T. water
1 T. oil

Cooking instruction:

1. Heat oil in a wok or large pan. Add shallots and cook until opaque.

2. Add bell peppers and carrots and cook for a few minutes until the carrots get a bit tender, but not overcooked. Add fried fish cake.

3. In a small bowl, mix sugar, ketchup, chili sauce, soy sauce, and water. Add mixture to pan and stir fry for a few minutes.

4. Serve with steamed rice.