Almost dolsot bibimbap

Dolsot bibimbap is the first dish I ever ate in a Korean restaurant: a heated stone bowl (called a dolsot), filled with rice and vegetables. The hot stone causes the rice to go brown and crispy on the bottom. A raw egg is traditionally broken on top of the dish, to mix in at the table, and spicy-sweet red chili paste is added to taste. It's comforting, it's simple, and it warms you up on a cold day. I call this almost bibimbap because I've simplified the recipe to make use of what I had in the house, mid-week. I also use a cast iron skillet in place of the dolsot. So, all in all, it's almost bibimbap.

If you want a more traditional recipe, I recommend the veggie version here.

You can find tubs of prepared gochujang, a Korean chili paste, in Asian supermarkets. It's sweet, slightly spicy, and quite high in salt, so I'd ideally like to find a low sodium version (if anyone knows of one, or has a recipe for one, please let me know).

Recipe

1/2 cup rice
2-3 inch piece of cucumber, julienned
A selection of vegetables of your choice:
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced or cubed
- 1/2 cup green beans, cut into shorter lengths (optional)
- 1/2 red pepper, cut into thick strips (optional)
1 chicken thigh, roasted or poached, meat shredded (optional)
1 egg
2-3 tsp oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp of gochujang

Cook the rice by your favourite method (boil, steam, or pressure cooker).

While it cooks, saute the mushrooms, green beans and /or red pepper in a little oil, season with a little soy sauce, then set aside.

Saute the cucumber in a little oil. Season with a little soy sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired, then set aside.

Heat a good slug of oil in a heavy cast iron skillet until it's very hot.

Pat the cooked rice across the bottom of the pan, spreading it out evenly. Top the rice with piles of chicken (if using), and vegetables. Cover and cook over medium heat for five minutes, until the rice is going brown on the bottom and the toppings heated through. Break an egg on top of the dish.

Take the whole skillet to the table - be sure to use a trivet to protect your tabletop. Mix the dish before you eat it, so that the egg cooks in the residual heat of the rice and skillet. Add gochujang to taste.

Serves: 1
Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes

Oops, broke the egg

The amounts in this recipe are for one person - double the amounts for two people (and either use a large skillet or 2 small ones).