Bibimbap 비빔밥 in Japan

As I've mentioned in previous posts, my wife and I are both big fans of Korean food. A few weeks ago I was surprised while browsing though my local Daiei supermarket here in Kobe, Japan. In one section I found a bibimbap kit. Bibimbap 비빔밥 is a really delicious korean dish consisting of rice and vegetables. It's actually my wife's favorite! I quickly grabbed to packs at 198¥ each (about $2.20 Canadian) and brought them home. We simply had to add the ingredients to some steamed rice and add an egg


According to Wikipedia:

Bibimbap 비빔밥 is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed rice." Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautés and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.[2] It can be served either cold or hot.

Vegetables commonly used in bibimbap include julienned cucumber, zucchini, mu (daikon), mushrooms, doraji (bellflower root), and gim, as well as spinach, soybean sprouts, and gosari (bracken fern stems). Dubu (tofu), either plain or sautéed, or a leaf of lettuce may be added, or chicken or seafood may be substituted for beef.[2] For visual appeal, the vegetables are often placed so that adjacent colors complement each other. See more...


Here is the bibimbap kit I bought at Daiei.


Included with the kit was a packet of Korean red pepper paste or gochujang 고추장. You MUST have this when you have bibimbap!


The final product. Often a raw egg is placed on top of the rice and vegetables, but my wife prefers a fried one. it was an awesome treat to have on a Sunday afternoon. i think i may actually buy the same thing for lunch tomorrow!


If you are interested in learning more about Korean food or how to prepare it you can of course check out Zen Kimchi.

Another really great site for cooking Korean food is Maangchi. I have seen her on You Tube for many years, but went to her site for the first time today. It contains great recipes, photos of Korean food, how to videos and a lot more. She even has a photo contest on at the moment. You should check it out!