Bibimbap

I absolutely love all Asian food.  Though I have to admit, I wasn't that fond of Korean cuisine, until recently.  Who knew that Cincinnati, OH would have a fabulous Korean restaurant... better than anything we ate in Hawaii.  Yes, I'm shocked.  We also have a friend here form Korea and he got me to like Kimchi.  Again... shocker. 

For Nick's birthday, we went to this Korean restaurant.  Holy moly... it was delicious!  We got sushi, but it was different than Japanese sushi... amazing.  Then we got a whole bunch of things and I have no idea what they were, but they were all delicious.  We kept staring at everyone's dishes around us and it all looked amazing.  I can't wait to go back!

One really popular dish in Korea (well it's popular here in America/Cincinnati) is Bibimbap.  Super delicious and veritable.  Nick had it for the first time a while ago.  I've never actually had it from a restaurant, but I know the flavors in mine were outstanding.  Who knew that a little veggies and rice could pack so much flavor.  I love it! Makes me want to travel again. I highly recommend googling bibimbap to see what other awesome ingredients you can put in this dish. Enjoy!

Bibimbap

Serves: 4

1 cup brown rice

1 bunch of fresh spinach, rinsed

1 garlic clove minced

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 zucchini, cut into matchsticks

1 package mushrooms, sliced (calls for shiitake, but I used baby bella)

1/2 block of tofu, baked (see how to perfectly bake tofu, here)

4 tablespoons Gochujang, (It's a Korean chili sauce... I just used Sriracha)

1 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce, I used Bragg's

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon brown sugar

4 eggs

Directions:

Cook brown rice according to package instructions.

Meanwhile in a large saute pan over medium high heat, add mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and a teaspoon of brown sugar.  Cook until mushrooms have released their liquid.  Set mushrooms aside and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add carrots to saucepan with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and honey.  Saute until cooked, but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Set aside with the mushrooms and cover with foil. 

Add zucchini to the saucepan and saute for about 2 minutes.  Remove and set aside with the mushrooms and carrots, cover with foil. 

Add spinach and garlic to the saucepan with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.  Saute until spinach is wilted. Set aside with other ingredients. 

In the same saucepan, fry up eggs, sunny side up. 

In a large bowl, add rice and top with fried egg.  Drizzle chili sauce over the top and arrange the vegetables and tofu around the egg.  Enjoy!