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!
Living in South Korea I and the hubby grew to love this fast and tasty Korean dish. We would frequent the local Kimbab shop which we nicknamed Uncle Grumpy's (the owner was particularly grumpy!). They had the best bimbimbap, kimbap and everything in between. You can't go wrong with a fried egg on top! However, once we came back to the US and UK, finding this dish is easy enough but not for the price Grumpy'swould charge. Plus a challenge to remake something we both love was enough for me to look far and wide (in the comfort of my sofa) for a decent and authentic recipe! Maangchi is Korean (tick) so I trust her more than other recipes for Kimchi Bokkeumbap.
Yay or Nay: Yay!
This is an easy to follow recipe and you get a similar taste to the real deal! This tip is more to do with me rather than the recipe itself but I never seem to have enough kimchi juice or kimchi so make sure you have plenty! Also, I forgot the dried seaweed and fried egg which you need to finish the dish but of course I forgot to take a pic of the final product.
