Fresh Bibimbap Salad!

So okay, this isn't sushi, and it isn't even Japanese... But the Korean dish of Bibimbap is one of my all time favorite meals. And let's face it, this blog is still new and I'm figuring out what direction I want to take it, so just deal.

My "Fresh Bibimbap Salad"

The last time I was in Seattle I stopped at the well known Asian market Uwajimaya to pick up a few items. So of course whenever I'm there I make sure to stop at Shilla Korean BBQ in the food court. I'm embarrassed to mention a food court, but when you see the one at Uwajimaya, you wont think twice about eating there regularly. The first time I got the Bibimbap at Shilla I forgot for a moment that it was served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, and I burned my thumb and three fingers trying to pull the bowl closer to my mouth. It didn't matter. I plunged my fingers into a glass of well iced Sprite and continued to eat with my chopsticks hand. It was so good, I forgot completely about the burned fingers.

Shilla's Dolsot Bibimbap with Kalbi

I ordered the Kalbi (cross cut beef short ribs) Bibimbap. It was served with a barely cooked fried egg on top. I don't have a picture with the egg, because since my last visit the servers have started mixing the Bibimbap for customers. Maybe they saw me burn my fingers last time ;). Actually, the last time I was there and ordered Bibimbap, the server asked me,
  "Do you know how to eat this?"
  I replied, "I usually mix it up. What do you mean?"
  He said, "Oh, okay, sometimes when white people order Bibimbap, I see them eat one ingredient at a time, hahaha!"


So now I'm home and craving Bibimbap, so what do I do - make my own version. Strictly speaking, my recipe is NOT traditional Korean Bibimbap for a few reasons. First, I'm not making what's called "Dolsot" Bibimbap, which is when it's served in a sizzling hot stone bowl. The reason I'm not doing this is because I don't own one. However, I will be doing another blog entry for DOLSOT BIBIMBAP as soon as I get the craving again. If, like me, you don't own a stone bowl, what you can use is a good cast iron pan, heated in an oven at it's highest setting for at least 10 minutes.

Since I'm not doing a sizzling version of Bibimbap, I figured I'd make it fresh and salad like. So another major difference between my version and the traditional style is that not all of my vegetables have been sautéed, and they won't be cooked in the bowl. Instead, many of the vegetables I use have been pickled.

Finally, since I'm doing a light and refreshing take on Bibimbap, I swapped out rice for rice noodles. It's basically more of a Vietnamese Bibimbap than Korean. Please don't give me too many negative comments because this version doesn't use rice - I know the crispy rice is super important to an authentic Bibimbap, but my version I guess is the white guy's less cooked salad version.

TIP:
Prep all the veggies before you start - it will go much quicker.

INGREDIENTS:
(I don't have specific measurements or quantities because it can vary according to your tastes and the amount you want to make)
Rice Noodles (Pad Thai style)
Lettuce (something good like Red Leaf)
Sriracha
Pickled or Fresh Peppers (Jalapeno, Serrano or Thai)
Cilantro
Mint
Carrots
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Kimchi
Pickled Red Onion
Some kind of cooked meat - in this recipe I'm using leftover BBQ Pork Spareribs I pulled off the bone
1 egg

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare a handful of Pad Thai Rice Noodles according to packaging. Usually, add to boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes (that's right, just 2 minutes!).

 After two minutes, drain your Rice Noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water until the noodles are no longer hot. Place in a bowl.

Next add some fresh lettuce.

Add some Mint and Cilantro



Add your Meat of choice and some Carrots (pickled if possible)



Add some good quality Kimchi, because Kimchi makes everything better

And some home pickled Serrano peppers

Drizzle that sucker with Sriracha!

Fry an egg sunny side up and gently set that on top. Remember - if this were a "Dolsot" Bibimbap, I would undercook the egg a bit, so it would finish in it's steaming bowl. But since this is a fresh Bibimbap salad, make sure the egg whites are fully cooked. Be sure to serve and eat the dish immediately after the egg is ready, though. The yolk will add a great coating to all the vegetables, especially mixed with the Sriracha.

And spread some Pickled Red Onions on top (guess I could have put those on before the egg)

And then mix it all up and enjoy!!!

Other great ingredients for this would be: Bean Sprouts, Radish, Cucumber, Green Onion, Bell Peppers, or basically any fresh vegetables. Traditional meats include Bulgogi Beef, Spicy Pork, Sizzling Shrimp, or Kalbi.

Again, sorry this isn't as authentic as the one I enjoyed so much at Shilla in Seattle, but it's a relatively easy weeknight dinner that's healthy, filling and packs a lot of flavor.