The 4-Step Guide to the Best Bibimbap Experience
A bowl of vegetables, strips of meat and eggs on top of a bed of rice may sound like a simple meal, but it's actually one of the most popular dishes in Korea. This hearty comfort food is even more delicious than it sounds, and it's well worth a try if you love East Asian flavours.
If you want to get the most out of your bibimbap experience, follow this 4-step guide.
1. Choose the Right Restaurant
The first step to enjoying great bibimbap is to choose the right restaurant. Although bibimbap is a very popular dish in Korea, not all Korean restaurants in Australia serve bibimbap, with many BBQ places leaving it off the menu. Once you've found a few restaurants that serve bibimbap, look for one that has a variety of options on the menu. The most traditional form of bibimbap is the beef variety, which includes sliced beef alongside sautéed vegetables. However, beef bibimbap isn't the only great option—there are tons of others out there that all offer unique flavours. Bibimbap can also be served with pork or chicken, seafood like fish or squid, or even tofu for a vegetarian experience. Some restaurants can even swap out sautéed vegetables for deliciously tangy kimchi.
2. Order it in a Hot Stone Bowl
It may sound surprising, but great bibimbap isn't just about the ingredients—the dish it's served in can make a difference too. Instead of ordering your bibimbap in a regular bowl, why not opt for dolsot bibimbap? A 'dolsot' is a Korean stone bowl that's heated on a stove. The bowl retains this heat while you're eating, heating up the meat and eggs and giving the rice a unique, crispy texture. While some prefer their meat and eggs completely raw and their rice soft, many enjoy dolsot bibimbap even more than the regular version.
3. Add Your Choice of Condiments
As with all Korean foods, the seasonings can make or break a dish. Bibimbap is typically served with a variety of condiments on the side—which ones you add is totally up to you and your preferred flavour profile. The most basic is soy, which is great for those who prefer a subdued seasoning that brings out the flavours of all the meat and vegetables. One of the most popular options is gochujang, a Korean chili paste made with fermented soybeans, adding a fiery kick to your bibimbap. If you like the taste of fermented soybeans but gochujang is too spicy for you, you can add doenjang (plain fermented soybean paste) or ssamjang (seasoned fermented soybean paste) instead. A little drizzle of sesame oil on top adds a dash of nutty umami to bibimbap.
4. Mix Before You Eat
Finally, once you have your bowl of rice, meat, vegetables and condiments in front of you, it's time to eat—but first, you'll need to mix everything up. After all, bibimbap means 'mixed rice' in Korean. Grab your spoon (not chopsticks, which are traditionally not used for bibimbap) and toss everything together until you get an even distribution and colour. It may not look as pretty as it did when it was presented to you, but the flavours melding together with each bite makes up for that.
For more information on Korean food, contact a Korean restaurant.