Blog-checking lines: The July Daring Cooks’ Challenge took us to Korea, where Renata of Testado, Provado & Aprovado taught us to make bibimbap. This colourful rice dish can be customized to meet any taste, and is as much fun to eat as it is to say!
Take a look at this inspiring recipe for ♥ Bibimbap ♥ from Lavender and Lime #LavenderAndLime Share on X
In the last couple of months, the saying “There but for the grace of G-d go I” (John Bradford) keeps coming to mind. It is meant as an expression of humility but I am repeating it to myself as a gratitude of all that I have. Winter in the Western Cape is always wet. It is our rainy season and snow can be expected mid August. Our temperatures do not normally get that cold and the fluctuations are not that great. We can expect day time temperatures of around 15° Celsius and night time lows of 6° Celsius. However, this winter has been an exception. It snowed the first week of June and we have already had extreme cold of 3° Celsius during the day. On top of that, it has been raining a lot (enough to fill our half built swimming pool). It has also been hot enough to consider the weather more spring like than mid winter. Another feature of the area in which I live is the fact that homelessness is commonplace. What is called sleeping rough in most countries is nothing new to the Western Cape. And it is for this reason that I am grateful for the roof over my head. I have a warm bed to sleep in every night, and the rain to me is an aid to watering my garden. I have food on my table and I don’t need to worry where my next meal will come from. Meals can be simple, or extravagant, and a bibimbap (mixed rice) is a perfectly good example of a complete meal in one dish. I have made mine without meat and this was a perfect meal for us for lunch. As I said there but for the grace of G-d go I!
Bibimbap
Ingredients
for the rice
- 105 g white rice
- 250 mls coconut water, (or tap water)
- 1 pinch fine salt
for the topping
- Canola oil for frying
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- Soy sauce for seasoning
- ½ yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 100 g sugar snap peas, sliced in half
- ½ small red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 150 g exotic mushrooms, sliced
- 2 egg yolks
Method
for the rice
- Place the rice and water and the salt into a sauce pan
- Bring to the boil
- Place the lid on top, turn off the heat and leave to steam for 40 minutes
for the topping
- Once the rice has steamed begin with your vegetables
- Heat a little bit of oil in a wok or frying pan
- Sauté the onions until soft
- Stir them into the rice
- Add the yellow pepper to the pan (adding more oil if necessary) and sauté for a few minutes
- Add a dash of soy sauce and set aside
- Now add the peas to the pan (adding more oil if necessary) and sauté for a few minutes
- Add a dash of soy sauce and set aside
- Next add the cabbage to the pan (adding more oil if necessary) and sauté for a few minutes
- Add a dash of soy sauce and set aside
- Finally fry off the mushrooms until cooked
- Add a dash of soy sauce and set aside
for the Bimimbap
- Add the rice to a bowl
- Top with the vegetables, laying them out separately
- Place the egg yolk into the middle and add a dash of soy sauce if you want
- Serve hot and mix the egg yolk and vegetables into the rice before eating
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
What I blogged:
- one year ago – Waiting For Wednesday
- two years ago – Friday’s Food Quiz
- three years ago – Sweet Chilli Sauce Duck
- four years ago – Roast Chicken
This recipe looks really interesting Tandy – not one that I have come across before.
Hope you try and make it Rachel 🙂
I was just talking to my South African trainer about snow in SA and I’ll have to tell you had some this year. Bibimbap is such a favourite for me 😀
Where is your trainer from? It does not snow all over SA but we are lucky enough to see some every year 🙂
Well done and a beautiful presentation!
ela h.
Thank you dear Ela 🙂
Oh I hear you Tandy. I’m finding myself being totally grateful for the roof over head, warm bed & nanna beanie. Tis beyond cold in the Berra at the moment. So Bibimbap is like fried rice? Stay warm lovely one. Happy Monday. 🙂
It is similar to fried rice, without actually frying the rice 🙂
Had never heard of this – what a lovely dish!
Thank you Tanya 🙂
I love making “dirty rice” and baking it in peppers in the oven with melted cheese on top. This got my mouth watering… looks and sounds delicious! 🙂
I am not a huge fan of baked peppers but with cheese on top, they must be good 🙂
You’re so lucky!!! Our temps here (last year) got to -40 c!!!! And there was 2/3 of a meter in snow!
This looks delicious!
I would cry if it got that cold! The worst I ever had was minus 25C in Chicago 🙂
I love your recipes because I learn something new every time. This isn’t a recipe I would typically think to make, so Un-AMerican so I love it for it’s difference! I like your meatless variety too. Our foods here are so processed! Our diet needs help.
Can’t believe your weather! I’m so intrigued. Snow? Rain? Cold in South Africa? I can’t believe it.
Thank you so much for the compliment Laura 🙂 When we had the soccer world cup in South Africa in 2010 people arrived with shorts and t-shorts in their suitcases, not realizing that it gets cold here. We have a lot of snow, enough for skiing! We have stunning summer weather though, which makes the rain and cold so worth it 🙂
Yum! So simple and easy. Can’t wait to try it. We live in Western NY within just a short walking distance of Niagara Falls. This summer has been the coldest yet since we moved here seven years ago. This past winter was the worst…EVER….so cold. Like you, I am so thankful to have a warm bed, shelter that is comfortable…though would like it warmer….but we have so much to be thankful for.
Hello Joyce, I have never been to the Niagara Falls but they look amazing and a place I would love to visit. I know you have had bitter weather and hopefully it will not last 🙂
That’s beautiful food…love the combination of mushrooms with the vegetables and egg yolk. Delightful.
Thank you Minnie 🙂
Hi Tandy, Gordon’s Bay sounds like a wonderful place to live, had no idea it gets so cold there. Love this bibimbap mixed rice.
Cold is very relative Cheri, it gets colder in Johannesburg where I grew up but then they don’t get the snow 🙂
Very nice! I’ll have to try the coconut water in the rice next time.
It made quite a difference Angela 🙂
Tandy, bibimbap is one of my favourites! And yes, we all have so much to be grateful for, don’t we.. xx
I could make this over and over again for lunch with what ever I have to hand 🙂
I like your creativity for toppings. It is always nice to have a vegetarian meal in the rotation. Of course my boys would be running for the Korean chill powder flakes and Gochujang sauce.
I decided not to go out and try and find Gochujang sauce to buy as it would be another ingredient sitting in my kitchen, hardly being used 🙂
I have to be honest and say I haven’t heard of this concept before. It sounds so interesting and I imagine the heat of the veg and rice will cook the egg as you mix it through? I must try this sometime 🙂 xx
The egg cooks as soon as you mix it in (that is if you do it straight away and don’t take photographs). This would make a great lunch for you 🙂
This is such a happy dish for me 🙂 Quick, complete and healthy! I like my Bibimbap spicy, too 🙂
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
It is a perfectly happy dish 🙂
Thanks for introducing me to bibimbap 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
My pleasure Uru 🙂
This is one of my favorite Korean food go-tos! Must try this recipe!
I thought of you when I made it Joanne that is why I chose a vegetarian option 🙂
I have times where phrases get stuck in my head too. I always wonder why, that phrase, at that time.
Coconut water in the rice sounds delicious! I’m going to have to try that next time I make a batch.
Let me know what you think of the rice when you do it with the coconut water 🙂
It’s summer but COLD here in California, so I sympathize with you.
The bibimbap sounds delicious!
Cold in California and with the drought must make it quite dry! Thanks for the visit Joyti 🙂
Tandy, this looks and sounds so fresh and tasty! I do like Korean food, but have not really tasted too many dishes.
This was a first for me, and I think it won’t be the last 🙂