Bibimbap

Cast iron pan = Stone pot

Bibimbap is one of my favorite foods, and it's also one of my favorite ways to use up whatever vegetables I have on hand. 

I used to make it just in a bowl, and then I'd pay $17 at a restaurant for the luxury of having bibimbap in a stone pot. But THEN I watched this video of my current favorite YouTuber Maangchi make bibimbap, and I saw how easy the stone-pot part of the process was, and then I confirmed via google that you can make stone pot bibimbap in a cast iron pan! I just happened to have a new-to-me small cast iron pan, so I couldn't wait to make this happen.

This is what I used to make, pre-cast-iron. Not anymore.

The Maangchi video gives a good overview of the different ways to prepare vegetables. I generally improvise these days, but I've taken lots of cues from her. The one thing I do that I don't think is traditional is that I like to lightly pickle any carrots and cucumbers that I have, and then I add them cold at the very end. But that's just me hating cooked carrots.

I guess this meal is still good in a plain old bowl, and since I only have one appropriately sized cast iron pan, I'll stick with bowls if I want more than one serving ready at once. But Jess and I love it this way so much that I'm just going to try to always serve this when we're not eating at the same time. Because crunchy rice.

Another perk of doing this the stone-bowl way is that I can prep all of the ingredients earlier and not have to worry about them being warm at meal time. The hot pot does a great job of warming up cold vegetables from the fridge.

The recipe for the sauce came from Macheesmo. 

EDIT: I learned a lazy way that skips making the sauce, and I think it's just as good, especially if you already have toppings with vinegar and/or garlic in them. Instead of making sauce, just sprinkle some sugar on top, drizzle some sesame oil, and then place a dollop of straight-up gochujang on top. Mix it all together before eating. I think I learned this from the Viet Vegan, but apologies to whomever posted this trick in a YouTube video if it was someone else. 

The Recipe (sauce is enough for 4 bowls):

2 tb gochujang

1 tb sesame oil

1 tb sugar

1 tb water

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 clove garlic

Bowl components:

Rice (I like Jasmine)

Protein (tempeh photographed at top, or I usually do roasted tofu)

Cucumbers and carrots (quickly pickled in 2 parts rice vinegar and 1 part soy sauce)

Spinach / kale / chard (steamed, then chopped and mixed with grated fresh garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds)

Zucchini, onions, and/or bell peppers (sauteed lightly in vegetable oil, with a splash of soy sauce at the end)

Green onions (thinly sliced)

Toasted sesame seeds (generously sprinkled)

Kimchi

Fried egg

Sesame oil

• Blend sauce ingredients. Or, skip this step and prepare to do the sugar-sesame oil - gochujang step described in the "EDIT" section above.
• If serving in bowls: Layer rice, veggies and protein, egg, and sauce. Top with a splash of sesame oil and sesame seeds.
• If serving in stone bowls or cast iron: Press a portion of rice into the bottom of the skillet, covering the skillet completely. Then add the protein and any vegetables that you want hot (I add everything except green onions, cucumbers, and carrots). Drizzle 1 tsp sesame oil so it soaks down to the bottom (to help the rice get crunchy). Turn on the heat to medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes, until it starts sizzling and then crackling and it crackles for a couple of minutes. Then add the cold vegetables, sauce, and egg. Top with sesame seeds.

The Verdict:

Overall grade: A+

Overall reason: So many flavors and textures. Seems less oily and more healthy than most restaurant versions, and it's just as delicious.

Time to prepare: 1 hour

Husband quote: "Can you send me the picture that you took of this, so I can post it on my work's foodies channel to brag?"