One of my food obsessions: Kimchi. Kimchi is a Korean dish made of fermented veggies. It’s spicy, sour, and everything else wonderful that you could imagine. Along with it being delicious, kimchi is also extremely wonderful for gut health, containing healthy bacteria that helps with digestion. Some studies even suggest that fermented cabbage can protect against certain cancers. So naturally, I use it quite a bit.
A very traditional plate that can incorporate kimchi and any leftovers that may have needed to be used up in your fridge, is none other than bibimbap. And yes, I do dare you to say that five times fast. Bibimbap translates to “mixed rice”. A Korean dish that normally is served with rice, topped with veggies, beef, a fried egg, and gochujang (which is a red chili paste). Since you basically can choose whichever veggies your heart desires, feel free to tweak the recipe whatever your local market has, making the seasonal possibilities endless. The best part is that it makes for a super quick weeknight meal that is very nutritious. And, if you needed one more reason to make this meal, historically it was made for royalty. So if you’re feeling sassy and privileged, it can be quite fitting. I love all things spicy, but you can omit the chili paste if you do not.
Bibimbap
Ingredients
- 1 #, Lean Ground Beef
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1/2 Yellow Onion, small diced
- 1 Chinese Eggplant, large diced
- 8 oz, Shitaki Mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 cup, Kimchi
- 2 Carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 2 cups, bean sprouts
- 8 Scallions, chopped
- 1/4 c, 3 tbsp, (plus extra to add at the end if desired), Liquid Aminos/Tamari
- Salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup, Rice Vinegar
- Red Chili Flakes, to taste
- Sesame Oil (To cook veggies)
- Optional: Fried/Sunny Side up Egg, fennel seeds, ground ginger
Instructions
In a rice cooker, add 1 cup of brown rice and 2 cups of chicken stock or water, I always add a bayleaf and some salt for flavor, but this is optional, cook until complete and test once done to make sure it's cooked through, add more liquid and continue the cooking process if necessary, if not, utilize the keep warm feature
In a large skillet or large saute pan, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil over medium heat, add yellow onions and garlic and heat until fragrant, pour rice vinegar and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated
Add ground beef and crumble or break up with wooden spoon, add 1/4 cup liquid aminos/tamari and allow to cook stirring and breaking up meat to ensure it cooks uniformly, this can be covered and kept on the lowest setting while you cook the veggies ( I added about a tsp of fennel seeds and a tsp of ground ginger for flavor, do it if you want, or don't!) Salt to taste
In alternate saute pan, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil until you start to see smoke, add mushrooms and cook until you see some color, salt to taste, be sure to be stirring you do not want them to burn, once cooked set aside
Using same saute pan, add enough sesame oil to coat the pan and heat until you see smoke add the eggplant, the eggplant will soak up the oil if you need to add more, do so, I also add 3 tbsp of additional tamari/liquid aminos, salt to taste, set aside
**Feel free to cook mushrooms and eggplant together to save some time
In the same saute pan, cook bean sprouts just so they are heated throughout, about 30-45 seconds, I like mine to have a little crunch, but you do want to cook any harmful bacteria off
I always add a sunny side up or fried egg, because I firmly believe runny egg yolk could be the answer to world peace
Once rice is done, you are ready to assemble
In your dish, add rice in the middle and then mushrooms, eggplant, raw matchstick carrots, kimchi, ground beef, bean sprouts surrounding the rice, top with a fried egg, garnish with some scallions, maybe add some chili paste and ta-da you are now a bibimbap king/queen and you will slay that dish
Notes
Although the base of this recipe is super healthy, it is easy to go overboard with the sodium so just be cautious with that salt and tamari/liquid aminos, or don't, you'll just feel bloated the next day.
2 Comments
Anne
March 24, 2017 at 8:26 amI literally was just reading about a Candida cleanse and Kimchi and fermented veggies. I can’t stand Sauerkraut, so I wouldn’t be able to do that, but maybe Kimchi, however I have no idea what it is! ? I am also going to try Bensonite Clay, have you ever tried that? The benefits of it sound amazing, and it’s ancient, people have been using it for hundreds of years, yet I’m just learning about it. It’s literally the ash from Volcanos ?! Very healthy for the gut as well and super healing properties! Your recipes look awesome hunny – good job! Maybe you will cook for us when you visit?!
theseasonaljunkie_j6gv8c
March 26, 2017 at 3:13 amI have not tried it! And Absolutely 🙂