Mix it up with BiBimBap

Bibimbap
Serves 1, 30 min
I was sifting through the fridge and found some left over side dishes and vegetables that were going to go to waste. I hate watching ingredients go unused so I decided to use them all up and make bibimbap. "Bibimbap" literally translates to "mixed rice" in Korean. Traditionally, bibimbap is a mix of cooked vegetables, meat, egg, hot chili paste and sesame oil. Here, I left out the meat but kept the egg (you can leave out the egg and it still tastes good). You can pretty much take any vegetable and stir fry it or keep it fresh and have bibimbap. Try it with fresh cucumbers, blanched spinach, fresh sesame leaves, etc. Two of the ingredients used today are things you probably never heard of.


Burdock root (on left)- This is the root of a Burdock plant, better known as a thistle. Its cheap and stays for a long time. I found it difficult to cut by hand so I made even slices by using a mandolin. Once cooked, its slightly sweet and becomes softer yet stays crunchy.
King Trumpet mushroom (on right)- also known as the "almond abalone mushroom" is a large mushroom that tastes slightly buttery once cooked and its texture is comparable to an abalone.


1/2 cup burdock root
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup zucchini
1 king trumpet mushroom
1 egg
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 Tbs sesame oil
1-2 Tbs Korean hot chili paste

1.Remove skin from burdock by using a potato peeler. With a mandolin, shred burdock into matchsticks. Stir fry with little oil for 3-5 min until slightly tender. Add pinch of salt for taste.
2.Slice carrots into matchsticks and stir fry for 3-5 min until tender.
3.Chop zucchini into 1/4 inch half circles and stir fry. Remove excess water from pan and add a little salt for taste.
4.Dice the king trumpet mushroom into cubes and fry for 3 min, stirring occasionally.
5.Break egg into pan and pan fry, careful not to break the yolk. once the egg looks cooked on one side, flip the egg, again careful not to break the yolk. Don't let the egg to cook thoroughly, the yolk should stay a little runny.
6.Chop lettuce and set aside.
7.In a bowl, scoop the rice into the center, add the vegetables, and egg. Add desired amount of hot chili paste (the more you add, the spicier and saltier it will get) and drizzle sesame oil over everything. Mix well and enjoy.