Bibimbap, revisited

Just a shorty today, to show off some delicious bibimbap I threw together from ingredients I didn’t make myself. I did cook the rice and arrange everything, but unless you ferment your own doraji and kimchi (I didn’t), all you’re really doing is arranging bits on a bowl of steaming white rice. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I don’t even have a stone bowl to make this a proper dolsot bibimbap. In fact, I only made this because I didn’t have any bread for the intended roast beef sandwich and realized I had a fridge full of Korean pickled things and a sack of Calrose rice. I warmed up the roast beef with some sesame oil and nestled it among the banchan I had on hand (clockwise from the top): kimchi, a crunchy seaweed salad, pickled cucumber (I had two kinds: a spicy Korean oijangajji and salty-sweet green Japanese aokappa) and doraji (balloon flower root). I guess I did saute some shiitake mushrooms in soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Top with an egg and gochujang. I usually use an egg fried over easy, but tried it raw this time. I prefer fried.

Whaddaya know, I cooked after all.

Serve with a glass of soju and since you already added Japanese pickles you may as well sprinkle with some shichimi togarashi.