I LOVE bimbimbap. There, I said it. It's been one of the 'it' meals for a while and believe me it's worth the hype. BUT, I was eating this waaay before it because the hot thing. After living in Korea, I know what makes a good bimbimbap and so I'm reluctant to try a recipe from somewhere that isn't from Maangchi or learned from someone Korean.
I've been trying to entice The Hubby to try more veggies so I knew he would go for this, such is our love for the ricey, spicy goodness that is bibimbap! I found a recipe for bimbimbap from Alice Hart's book Good Veg. What attracted me to this recipe were the lack of ingredients, nothing more I hate than an endless list of ingredients - all of which I don't have at home!
Yay or Nay: Yay
I must say, I'm impressed. Mostly with the sauce - it is pretty identical to ones used in Korean Kimbap shops. The mushrooms were nice and savoury, the peppers added sweetness and the wilted spinach was subtly gingery! I
did sub some of the veggies for ones I had available or for preference,
but the beauty of this dish is that you can combine a whole bunch of
things and as long as you have the sauce - it's dynamite!
Having left over chicken in mind, I was trying to think of a tasty recipe to use them up. I didn't want anything soup based as we were having Pho most of the week. We wanted something spicy and, lo and behold, I remembered this recipe from my friend's Korean wife. I can't recall how she made it so relying on fail-safe Maangchi's Korean recipes I knew it wouldn't be far off.
This goes under several names dakdoritang or dakbokkeumtang but it is pretty much a spicy chicken stew which has enough heat to warm you up in the colder months. You definitely need this with rice to temper the heat of the chicken!
Yay or Nay: Yay
I mean, I knew this already going in but just for the sake of the blog! I did opt out of adding the extra spicy/chili pepper as I didn't want to overdo the spiciness. I felt like there was enough heat for me, however if you like really spicy then feel free to add at your own risk!
Admitedly tteokbokki or spicy rice cakes were never my favourite Korean street food when I lived there. I think because it was so easy to get ahold of and therefore I took it for granted.
When I recently went back to London, a family friend's wife made this for lunch and watching her make it I realised how easy it was. Now, this is my husband's favourite meal so I guess I had to make it at some point! I'm using a mix of her and Maangchi's recipe for tteokbokki but the former is a very reliable and authentic blog of Korean food.
Yay or Nay: Yay
Spicy, tasty and delicious! So simple and quick. This will be made again! I added some leeks that I had leftover during the week but I guess you can add any extra veg you might have!
