Cook Book Club: July's Ingredient Is Gochujang. The Country: South Korea!

We are now fully into the Summer of our third year exploring global cuisine and have traveled to Asia. Kits include a little bit about the country of focus, a recipe (or more) that is native to the country, and a unique ingredient or two from that recipe without which, it wouldn't be the same. Most recipes are from writers native to the country covered or otherwise lived experience of that culture. I'll post the recipes and information here as well, so let's get cooking!

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South Korean History and Food Culture

As explained by various cultural & historical resources

South Korea is forever marked by its ancient roots going back more than 3000 years. It has mostly maintained its culture despite periods of division and unification, colonization, war, economic and political upheavals, and all the rest. It has seen kingdoms rise and fall, been isolated from the rest of the world at times or been at the center of the global awareness, and for the past 80 years or so, been subject to ongoing tensions due to the ramifications of WWII and the Korean War and the division of Korea into North and South by the retreating Japanese with various parties trying either to force reunification or separation.

Like many countries, foods are often deeply rooted in seasonal availability and cultural values. The foods themselves are often characterized by a balanced diet with strong emphasis on rice, vegetables, seafood, and fermented foods (like kimchi). Communal eating is at the heart of their culture, as is variety. Often you will see many different smaller side dishes (known as banchan) at a single meal with people gathered, eating, cooking, or otherwise creating their meals together. Korean BBQ and kimchi are just two of the many communally made and consumed dishes South Korea is famous for, to the point where UNESCO lists them as part of Korea's intangible cultural heritage.

Another iconic South Korean dish is called bibimbap. Remember how I said there are often a number of smaller side dishes served with their meals? In bibimbap, they get the excuse to add any number of them together over rice and call it done, generally with an added protein and egg. It is an iconic dish that is made up of the sum of its parts and becomes something more. It is as homey Korean-style comfort food as macaroni and cheese or meatloaf would be in white America. Quick, easy, filling, and filled with memories of childhood. Served to a group, this is the way to go.

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Main Course

Bibimbap

This recipe has been adapted from MyKoreanKitchen.com for use by the Brown Deer Library Cookbook Club

Serves: 3-4 Prep Time: 35min.  Cook Time: 55min.  Total Time: 1hr. 30min.

Ingredients

Meat and meat sauce

• 3.5oz beef mince, or other cuts

• 1 Tbsp soy sauce

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil

• 1 tsp brown sugar

• 1/4 tsp minced garlic

Vegetables and other

• 250g/0.6lb blanched spinach salad

  • Salted water

  • baby spinach

  • 1 tsp finely chopped green onion

  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic

  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt or to taste

  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil

• 350g/0.8lb blanched bean sprout salad, You don't have to use them up if you think it's too much, but many people find the more vegetables the better!

  • Salted water

  • mung bean sprouts

  • 1 tsp finely chopped green onion

  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic

  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt to taste

  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil

• 100g/3.5oz shitake mushroom

• 120g/4.2oz carrots, 1 small

• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, 1/4 tsp each will be used when cooking shiitake mushroom and carrots

• 3 cups steamed rice, 3-4 serving portions

• 3 eggs, 3-4 depending on the serving portion

• Some cooking oil, to cook the meat, mushroom, carrot and eggs - original author used rice bran oil

• Some toasted seasoned seaweed, shredded (long thin cut)

Bibimbap sauce - The below sauce might only be enough for 3 servings if you like eating it spicy.

• 2 Tbsp gochujang

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil

• 1 Tbsp sugar, original author used raw

• 1 Tbsp water

• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• 1 tsp vinegar, original author used apple vinegar

• 1 tsp minced garlic

Directions

1. Mix the beef mince with the meat sauce listed above. Marinate the meat for about 30min while you are working on other ingredients to enhance the flavor. Add some cooking oil into a wok or other wide bottomed pan and cook the meat on medium-high to high heat. It takes about 3-5min to thoroughly cook.

2. Mix the bibimbap sauce ingredients in a bowl.

3. Cook blanched spinach salad (aka Sigeumchi Namul):

   1. Trim spinach roots (if applicable) and wash spinach in cold water thoroughly.

   2. Bring salted water to a boil. Once boiling, plunge the spinach into the pot and let it cook for 30 seconds. Drain the water and rinse the spinach immediately under cold water for 1-2 minutes. Gently squeeze to remove excess water.

   3. Divide the spinach into 2-4 pieces using a knife if not using baby spinach. Add remaining spinach salad ingredients and mix with hands.

4. Cook blanched mung bean salad (aka Sukju Namul Muchim): Follow the same basic principles as the spinach: Rinse the mung bean sprouts in cold water, discarding any bad beans, blanch but for a full 1-2 minutes before rinsing for 1-2, gently squeeze out excess water, & mix with remaining beansprout ingredients in a bowl.

5. Rinse, peel and julienne the carrots. Add some cooking oil and 1/4 tsp of fine sea salt in a wok or other wide bottomed pan and cook the mushrooms on medium high to high heat until they are all cooked. (It takes 2-3min.)

6. Make fried eggs. While sunny side up is common, you can make them per your preference.

7. Put the rice into a bowl and add the meat, assorted vegetables, seasoned seaweed, bibimbap sauce, and the egg on top of the rice. Serve

8. To eat, mix the ingredients in the bowl, and enjoy!

Notes

• Bibimbap is essentially mixed rice with meat and assorted vegetable side dishes on top. In a Korean home, often whatever vegetable side dishes are in the fridge from the day before are mixed in, so feel free to experiment. I have included the links she suggested below to other traditional Korean side dishes that might work well in bibimbap.

• Other traditional vegetable options - Daikon radish salad, Korean cucumber side dish, Gosari and Bellflower root

• Kimchi is a popular add-in. Using a marinated and fried tofu instead of the meat is also a popular choice. And if you don't like egg, skip it. I will state, however, some of the more traditional, authentic and regional bibimbap recipes use raw beef and raw egg yolk.

• If you don't feel like preparing any of the above vegetable side dishes, you could use your choice of salad too.

• Feel free to check out the original author's three other bibimbap sauces!

• If you want to learn more about Korean cooking ingredients, check the original author's essential Korean cooking ingredients list!