Before my husband came long, I wasn't the adventurous eater I am today. I was always a good eater, mom and dad made sure of that, but I just didn't have the opportunity to try so many new things until Adam shared them with me. He loved all different cuisines and forced me to try things I had never dreamt of. And for the most part, I discovered I loved them too. Sushi, Calamari, Raw Tuna, just to name a few. Oh, and of course Korean food, which is where today's recipe comes in.
We have this little Korean restaurant here in town, a little "hole in the wall" if you will, and the first time he took me there I was not impressed. That will teach me not to judge a book by its cover! I had NO idea what to order, but he guided me to something he was pretty sure he knew I would love, and he was right!
If you've never had Bibimbap, it literally means "mixed rice." It is this huge rice, meat, veggie mixture, and then...here is my favorite part...it has an ooey gooey fried egg served on top. Why? Because the minute you cut into it, the warm yolk covers everything making it's own sauce. I know it might sound weird, but you have to take my word for it...one bite and you will be hooked.
Every time we go, I order the same thing, savor each and every bite and am always sad when it's gone. So it was about time I made a version at home we could enjoy any time.
You can easily adapt this to include veggies you love, these are what I had on hand. You can also add some sriracha or garlic chili paste if you like it hot!
And don't get overwhelmed! It really isn't a complicated recipe, it just has a lot of steps. But you can prep the veggies, and even pre-cook the rice too! Then all you have to worry about is the beef and frying up some eggs. Just take your time and take it one step at a time. No lie- I made this on a Monday night, with 1 hour until dinner had to be ready for Alex to eat before Tae Kwon Do, and Max was at my feet the whole time! My point? If I can do it, YOU can too!
If you aren't a very adventurous eater, or maybe your kids won't touch anything that isn't a chicken nugget or hot dog, I urge you to start small. Try something like this that has things that are familiar, and then go from there!
Korean Beef Bowl
2 lbs. ground beef
6 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce
4 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Black Pepper to taste
1 medium cucumber, sliced thin
3 medium carrots, grated*
1 bunch green onions, chopped*
6 cups cooked white rice*
4 eggs, cooked over easy or sunny side up
Sesame Seeds for garnish
Prep ALL veggies, and set aside. In a large skillet brown beef with garlic until no longer pink. Drain well, return to skillet. In a medium bowl whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper and black pepper. Pour over beef. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes until sauce reduces a little. To assemble, place rice in bottom of bowl. Top with beef, cucumber, carrots and green onions. Place 1 cooked egg on each bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. *NOTES* When grating carrots, use the large hole on a box grater. You only want the dark green parts of the green onions. Don't stress over using "fancy" rice. Save yourself some time and energy and use minute rice! Brown can be substituted too.
