The universe in a bowl
Culinary Trip to Korea: A Classic Bibimbap Recipe
Bibimbap symbolizes the five elements of the universe and also combines all five flavors – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami.
© Dmitrii Khvan / Getty Images
Bibimbap is a classic in Korean cuisine. Behind the curious-sounding name is a dish that impresses with its abundance of flavors and aromas. A spectacle for the palate.
Along with bulgogi and kimchi, bibimbap is a symbol of the Korean culinary world. The dish with the strange-sounding name is an absolute classic of Korean cuisine and can be found on almost every menu in Korean restaurants. The great popularity of the dish is easy to explain: Bibimbap not only impresses the palate, but also the eyes and nose. A symbiosis of colors, smells and textures, every ingredient has its own place in the bowl. Once served, all ingredients are then stirred together – a real taste explosion.
What is bibimbap?
But first to the basics: What exactly is bibimbap? The curious name basically means nothing more than “stir rice”. Rice, beef and various types of vegetables are red-hot in a bowl, carefully placed next to each other. The interplay is crowned with a fresh, raw egg. The ingredients are not mixed together, only mixed with chopsticks on the table, so that a wonderful mixture of egg, meat and vegetables is created. The highlight: the egg falters. The fun is served with a spicy Gochujang chili sauce.
A dish with tradition
Bibimbap is not just any dish – it combines the entire universe in just one bowl. You read that right. The five colors of the ingredients in bibimbap, also known as “obangsaek”, symbolize the five elements of the universe. According to a Korean philosophy, mixing the colorful ingredients brings the body into balance. They each stand for different parts of the human body. Red symbolizes the heart, black represents the kidneys. Green stands for the liver, yellow symbolizes the stomach and white the lungs.
In addition, the five colors of the bibimbap stand for the harmony between nature and people. It is said that we humans capture the energy of the universe and pass it on through our food.
All bibimbap or what? The origin of the food
Bibimbap has its origins in a centuries-old ritual. On the eve of Seollal, New Year’s Day of the Chinese lunar calendar, all leftovers from the pantry are traditionally thrown together to make room for the New Year. So you could say that bibimbap is basically the stylish variant of the well-known leftover food. All the better, because there are hardly any rules regarding the choice of ingredients. A wide variety of toppings, vegetables or types of meat make the dish versatile and varied. There is no right or wrong.
If you are still looking for a little specification, you can orientate yourself on the classic variant – the Jeonju Bibimbap. It is a specialty of the city of the same name, which enjoys nationwide popularity. Traditionally, steamed soybean sprouts, blanched spinach, sautéed vegetables such as shiitake mushrooms or zucchini and separately fried egg white and yellow find their way into an elegant brass bowl. This is accompanied by fresh cucumber or radish salad, fresh lettuce leaves, raw beef as tartare or fried and a fresh egg yolk. Roasted pine nuts and ginkgo nuts round off the meal.
Traditional power food
Bibimbap goes one better: the dish is not only beautiful to look at, aromatic and wonderfully versatile, it is also a real nutrient bomb.
Numerous natural ingredients and plenty of vegetables provide the body with a wide range of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Long-chain carbohydrates in rice and high-quality protein in eggs ensure long-lasting satiety and provide plenty of energy for body and mind. It is not for nothing that philosophy appeals to the healing properties of food: the five elements earth, fire, water, wood and metal are supposed to give the body, above all, peace and strength.
Well, if those aren’t enough arguments for trying out Bibimbap as soon as possible – good luck.
Recipe for two servings of bibimbap
ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of chili paste
- 50 milliliters of clear apple juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar
- sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons of black sesame seeds
- 1 cucumber (about 150 grams)
- 1 red chilli pepper
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- Juice of a lime
- 160 grams of jasmine rice (dry weight)
- 200 grams of carrots
- 200 grams of zucchini
- 100 grams of shiitake mushrooms (alternatively: 150 grams of brown mushrooms)
- 100 grams of fresh mung bean sprouts (alternative: bean sprouts)
- 2 spring onions
- 150 grams of baby spinach leaves
- 150 grams of ground beef
- ½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
- 2 organic eggs (size M)
- pepper
- sea-salt
preparation
- Peel the garlic and chop in to fine slithers.
- In a small saucepan, heat the chili paste, a clove of garlic, the apple juice, sugar and five tablespoons of sesame oil while stirring and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for about five minutes.
- Add two tablespoons of black sesame seeds and stir in. Remove from heat and let cool down.
- Clean, wash, dry the cucumber and slice it into thin slices. Cut the chilli lengthways and remove the stones. (This can be varied depending on how sharp you feel). Cut the pod into small pieces.
- In a separate bowl, mix three tablespoons of sesame oil with the fresh chilli, two tablespoons of soy sauce and one tablespoon of black sesame seeds. Squeeze the lime and add the juice and the remaining garlic. Add the cucumber and mix everything well. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
- Prepare the rice according to the instructions on the packet, drain and drain well. Keep the cooked rice warm.
- Prepare the vegetables: clean and peel the carrots and cut into thin sticks. Trim, clean and quarter the mushrooms. Wash and drain the sprouts. Clean and wash the spring onions and cut into thin rings. Sort the spinach, wash and drain.
- Heat some sesame oil in a large pan and fry the ground beef for about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove and keep warm.
- Heat the pan again with a little sesame oil and fry the mushrooms for about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove and keep warm.
- Heat the sesame oil in the pan again and sauté the carrots for two minutes. Deglaze with a little water and allow to evaporate. Season with salt and pepper. Also remove and keep warm.
- Finally fry the sprouts in sesame oil for about two minutes and then remove them.
- Put the spinach in the still warm pan and let it collapse. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Take out and pour into a bowl.
- Put the rice in two deep plates and arrange the vegetables evenly on top.
- Heat some sunflower oil in a non-stick pan and fry two fried eggs.
- Place a fried egg on each of the vegetables and garnish with sesame seeds and fresh pepper.
- Serve immediately with the chili sauce.