Thursday, February 23, 2012

Korean Bibimbap

Soup, Vegetable Soup, Lunch, Dinner, Hot

This post is about my first experience with Korean Bibimbap, not the soup above; However, the soup and the bibimbap are related.

Last week, my husband and I  drove into NYC to visit my son and his girlfriend (now his wife).  We dined at restaurant called," THE SMITH MIDTOWN " at  956 SECOND AVENUE  NYC ( a must try).  

Free photos of Farmer's salad

The food was exceptional and gluten free friendly. 
 I ordered the roasted tomato soup with melted cheddar cheese  and a fabulous Greek salad with a wonderful creamy lemony dressing ( one of the best I ever had). 

My husband, my son and his girlfriend all really enjoyed their choices as well; their choices were not gluten free ( the menu ) OK .... I'm getting to the Bibimbap.


On our long walk to the restaurant, my son told me about a vegetarian gluten free entree he had tried at the restaurant once before called,  Bibimbap..  I was intrigued with the name to say the least, but I thought he was making it up just to be funny.

It turned out my son wasn't joking. Bibimbap is a Korean dish that is quite popular in that American restaurant. 

 In fact, shortly after we were seated, a generous order of bibimbap whizzed by us on its way to a nearby table .

The bibimbap was a layered salad made with sushi rice, shiitake mushroom, spinach, pickled carrot, edamame, bean sprouts, a sunny up egg right in the middle. I is served with a wonderful Korean sauce.

Free photos of Food photography

According to Wikipedia :
Bibimbap (Korean pronunciation: [bibimbap][1]) is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed meal" or "mixed rice". Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg may be added. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.[2] It can be served either cold or hot.

When I went online, I found out there are many variations of Bibimbap. Sometimes it is layered, sometimes it is arranged by item in a spring form type pan, sometimes it is just mixed together. Some versions are a little more Americanized and contain shredded carrots, zucchini, and more typical American fare. I looked for some on Pinterest, there were tons of recipes. I guess a lot of people are familiar Bibimbap.

 Use Real Butter. is a blog. She has a wonderful pictorial tutorial of how to make bibimbap step by step.. If you want to make it, check out her blog because the post was entertaining and the photos and tutorials wonderful. ( for me of course, I would leave out the beef)



Have you ever had Bibimbap? Have you ever heard of Bibimbap? What's your Bibimbap story

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15 comments:

  1. I love bibimbap. I just had one the other day bought by my sister. I feel full but not that bloated. I always want to know its ingredients and on how to prepare it so that I can cook it at home. Thanks for sharing =)

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  2. Raquel,
    It really is an interesting and healthy meal. The tutorial on the link is excellent. Thanks for stopping by . Enjoy.

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  3. I'm not a big fan of the egg part, but the rest of the dish is fabulous!

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  4. I am so obsessed with bibimbop and all Korean food! Next time you are in NYC to visit your son you must go to Koreatown (32nd st btwn 6th and Broadway) and go to a Korean restaurant to try it. There is also an excellent vegetarian Korean restaurant closer to the 40s. Mmmmmm!!! Also, that tomato soup looks incredible.

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  5. Yes I love bibimbap! I lived in South Korea for a year (waaay back when I was still a single gal). But this was one of those go-to meals when I wasn't sure what else was on the menu and I didn't feel like dealing with ordering bulgogi (another safe bet). Typically the bowls of food weren't as neat looking as your pictures but yes, it was just a mish-mosh of things in a very hot bowl- with the egg. First thing we'd do is "cook" the egg in the hot bowl by mixing it up. We usually added some spicy sauce to it and mixed it up. And I loved eating the rice that stuck to the bottom of the bowl.

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  6. Hi Judee! Not only have I heard of Bibimbap, but I love it! I live in Korea (I'm about to move back to Brazil, though). My favorite is the Dolsot Bibimbap which comes sizzling in a stone pot and the rice underneath crisps up. It is something out of this world delicious! I bought the little individual stone pots and will be blogging about it very soon! A must try Korean dish!

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  7. mmm... Bibimbap! I do enjoy this dish! I've never tried to make it though, I should check out that tutorial. I am not Korean, but I have visited and eaten it in Korea.

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  8. I love a good bibimbap! I had my first at a Korean restaurant here in town. One of my favorite parts was how the rice got all crispy up against the pot they cooked it in and then served it in. It sizzled! All the flavors of the ingredients blending together was awesome! I've made it a few times at home (never the same way twice) and have loved it each time, but just can't seem to duplicate the crispy rice. Still trying.

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  9. I am really loving all of these Bibimbap stories! thanks for sharing them.

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  10. We love bimbimbap. That's one of our go to dishes when we go out for Korean food. I don't think we'e ever made it at home. Thanks for the inpiration.

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  11. I love it - I get it as a comfort food from the nearby Korean restaurant. The assembly doesn't look hard, but it's harder to find/make all the different pickled items. Mmm...hungry now!

    www.onedogwoof.blogspot.com

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  12. Hi Judee,
    I have not had Bibimbap, however I would love to try it. I always enjoy a great food adventure. Your post is great! Hope you have a wonderful week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  13. I have not heard of Bibimbap before, but it looks really intriguing! I think I would really enjoy it. Thank you for sharing this post with the Hearth and Soul hop.

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  14. Looks yummy. Thanks for sharing with Simply Delish.

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  15. Thank you so much for sharing your great post on Allergy-Free Wednesdays! Be sure to check back next week for recipe highlights (including the top 3 reader choice submissions and hostess favorites).

    Be Well!

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Your comments are appreciated. I love knowing who is stopping by to read my posts! Have a great day.

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