bibimbap!

[chantal]

Can someone elaborate on the red spicy sweet stuff in red tub? I'd love the name of it or how to make it. Oh and so If I heat my lodge griddle in the oven at 450 for 20 mins then pull it out, heat the electric burner using the griddle as a flame tamer and put my ceramic (spanish terracota) on that, , do you think this will work? Or should I just crank the terracota in the oven, pull it fill it with rice and return to oven for 5-10 minutes. Seems like that might work better. What do you all think? I am guessing I should oil the pot? Or do you want it to stick? I am wondering if I could get the rice crusty using a nonstick skillet and then transfer rice to a hot bowl?

[Jinmyo]

Can someone elaborate on the red spicy sweet stuff in red tub?  I'd love the name of it or how to make it.  Oh and so If I heat my lodge griddle in the oven at 450 for 20 mins then pull it out, heat the electric burner using the griddle as a flame tamer and put my ceramic (spanish terracota) on that, , do you think this will work?  Or should I just crank the terracota in the oven, pull it fill it with rice and return to oven for 5-10 minutes.  Seems like that might work better.  What do you all think?  I am guessing I should oil the pot?  Or do you want it to stick?    I am wondering if I could get the rice crusty using a nonstick skillet and then transfer rice  to a hot bowl?

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Stuff in red tub: Gojuchang, Korean miso paste with chile.

No oiling, no sticking with stone. Terracotta will stick so you could try rubbing it with a mixture of a neutral oil like grapeseed with a few zots of sesame oil.

Crisping rice seperately then adding it is a foul and evil trick but worth doing.One could crisp rice on a silpat and cut intro triangles that one thrusts here and there into the faux bibimbap. Not that I would, I'm just saying. (A few extra on a plate with a nice shrimp paste dip are also nice. [Not that I would, I'm just saying.])

edit:

"wirth?" What?

"sperately?"

Who was typing this?

Probably that loose squirrel monkey all hopped up on Shangai bok choy again. Bloody menace, she is. Should be a law. Or just give me a taser and I'll shut her down.

Edited August 19, 2005 by Jinmyo (log)

[chantal]

Can someone elaborate on the red spicy sweet stuff in red tub?  I'd love the name of it or how to make it.  Oh and so If I heat my lodge griddle in the oven at 450 for 20 mins then pull it out, heat the electric burner using the griddle as a flame tamer and put my ceramic (spanish terracota) on that, , do you think this will work?  Or should I just crank the terracota in the oven, pull it fill it with rice and return to oven for 5-10 minutes.  Seems like that might work better.  What do you all think?  I am guessing I should oil the pot?  Or do you want it to stick?    I am wondering if I could get the rice crusty using a nonstick skillet and then transfer rice  to a hot bowl?

←

Stuff in red tub: Gojuchang, Korean miso paste with chile.

No oiling, no sticking witrh stone. Terracotta will stick so you could try rubbing it with a mixture of a neutal oil like grapeseed with a few zots of sesame oil.

Crisping rice sperately then adding it is a foul and evil trick but worth doing.One could crisp rice on a silpat and cut intro triangles that one thrusts here and there into the faux bibimbap. Not that I would, I'm just saying. (A few extra on a plate with a nice shrimp paste dip are also nice. [Not that I would, I'm just saying.])

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Hey thanks. I actually wouldn't mind buying stone bowl but I have a tiny kitchen and I am really struggling as it is. I could do it in All-Clad couldn't I? I have a paella like casserole that might work better sice it has sloped sides. Also, how high should I heat the burner to crisp the rice? P.s. I am soooo jealous that you can get Shaoxing.

[bottomlesspit]

As to the terracotta idea, I'm not sure 5-10 minutes would do the trick or that 450 would do it, either. Your rice might dry out a bit on the top while you're waiting for a sufficient crust to form. To get the degree and type of heat you'd want to make noohreunghi (the toasty rice crust), I'm inclined to say (very preheated) cast iron might do the trick better than terra cotta.

Just an FYI on gochujahng: while it is a bean paste in the sense that it is made with beans, as is miso, I would say it's more of a chili paste, as that's the dominant flavor/usage. The closer Korean condiment to miso is actually something called dwehnjahng, which is closer in both color and flavor to miso.

And while you probably will never see dwehnjahng given as the "sauce" (so to speak) for your bibimbahp in a restaurant, I love to doctor it up and use it instead, or in addition to, gochujahng when I make bibimbahp at home. Minced garlic, chopped green onions, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and just a pinch of sugar to round out the saltiness usually do the trick for me - oh and some chopped jalapeno is nice for added heat.

[chantal]

As to the terracotta idea, I'm not sure 5-10 minutes would do the trick or that 450 would do it, either.  Your rice might dry out a bit on the top while you're waiting for a sufficient crust to form.  To get the degree and type of heat you'd want to make noohreunghi (the toasty rice crust), I'm inclined to say (very preheated) cast iron might do the trick better than terra cotta.

Just an FYI on gochujahng: while it is a bean paste in the sense that it is made with beans, as is miso, I would say it's more of a chili paste, as that's the dominant flavor/usage. The closer Korean condiment to miso is actually something called dwehnjahng, which is closer in both color and flavor to miso.

And while you probably will never see dwehnjahng given as the "sauce" (so to speak) for your bibimbahp in a restaurant, I love to doctor it up and use it instead, or in addition to, gochujahng when I make bibimbahp at home.  Minced garlic, chopped green onions, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and just a pinch of sugar to round out the saltiness usually do the trick for me - oh and some chopped jalapeno is nice for added heat.

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Wow that was good. Thanks you guys!!! The cast iron suggestion was a good one. Got nice and crispy. Had a Korean roomate a long time ago who used to boil tofu then put a little sauce on it then top with green onions and seseame seeds. Would this little sauce be soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili oil. Does that sound right? Thanks again.

[touaregsand]

Stuff in red tub: Gojuchang, Korean miso paste with chile.

Really?

the best bibimbap i've ever had was made by a Korean kid at a youth hostel on North Shore Oahu. Simple, simple, simple. I mean, have you ever seen hostel kitchens? And no exotic ingredients. Button mushrooms, bean sprouts, scallions, egg. It's the sesame oil and the red spicy-sweet stuff. Thats the key.

That's not bibimbap, that's bap with stuff mixed in, delicious to be sure, but not bibimbap.

[Jason Perlow]

As we've discussed before on other threads, Korean Americans in Hawaii have their own evolved Korean food traditions, especially with plate lunches like Bulgogi. It wouldn't suprise me that they have their own version of Bibimbap as well.

Stuff in red tub: Gojuchang, Korean miso paste with chile.

The "miso paste with red chile" is very likely Saemjang, of which there is a lot of variety between brands in terms of actual ingredients used . Gochujang (Wikipedia) as it is commercially sold in Korean supermarkets is mostly red pepper paste (yeah, its got rice powder and a small amount of fermented soybeans as well) which is added to other things to add spice, and there are a number of gochujang-based sauces as well -- a lot of Korean-style steak sauces contain it, as does korean-style "sashimi sauce". Saemjang, on the other hand, is an almost entirely fermented bean condiment that is used on a lot of dishes including bulgogi and kalbi, and again, there are some differences between brands, particularly in how fermented it is or how chunky it is. There are other variations of it, such as cheonggukjang which is even more fermented and is actually used to make a certain type of soup (jigae). My wife and I call it "funky sauce" for lack of a better description, its an acquired taste to be sure.

[touaregsand]

Yup, yup, yup.

[daniellewiley]

Thanks, Chris - very helpful suggestions.

The meal went really well.  I did most of my shopping at the Korean grocery in town, and that was quite the experience as hardly anything was in English.  But I managed to find all of the things that I needed.  I stopped at a few other stores to pick up other items.

Tammy - where is the Korean grocery? And which is your favorite bibimbop place - the one at Kerrytown?

We love Kang's Coffee Break on South U.

Our favorite Japanese restaurant here in Toledo (Kotobuki) is owned by a Korean, and they make an amazing bibimbop. They also have a bunch of other Korean dishes, though they aren't listed anywhere - I think they have them around just for staff meals.

[tammylc]

Thanks, Chris - very helpful suggestions.

The meal went really well.  I did most of my shopping at the Korean grocery in town, and that was quite the experience as hardly anything was in English.  But I managed to find all of the things that I needed.  I stopped at a few other stores to pick up other items.

Tammy - where is the Korean grocery? And which is your favorite bibimbop place - the one at Kerrytown?

We love Kang's Coffee Break on South U.

Our favorite Japanese restaurant here in Toledo (Kotobuki) is owned by a Korean, and they make an amazing bibimbop. They also have a bunch of other Korean dishes, though they aren't listed anywhere - I think they have them around just for staff meals.

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Hi Danielle! First things first - have you had your baby yet?

Now that the important questions have been asked...

Manna is the name of the Korean grocery, and it's on Broadway right near where it becomes Plymouth. It's a little tricky to find, especially since they used to be in this little shopping center, but that location closed and they moved right across the street!

I honestly haven't eaten much bibimbop in Ann Arbor other than the stuff at Kosmo in Kerrytown. I've been to Steve's Lunch once I think - not sure if I've been to Kang's (but a couple peopel have mentioned it so clearly I should give it a try).

There's a group in Ann Arbor that's starting a bibimbop tour - they want to try a different place each week until they've had them all. Alas, weekday lunches are more suited to students than working moms.

[daniellewiley]

Hi Danielle!  First things first - have you had your baby yet?

Now that the important questions have been asked...

Manna is the name of the Korean grocery, and it's on Broadway right near where it becomes Plymouth.  It's a little tricky to find, especially since they used to be in this little shopping center, but that location closed and they moved right across the street!

I honestly haven't eaten much bibimbop in Ann Arbor other than the stuff at Kosmo in Kerrytown.  I've been to Steve's Lunch once I think - not sure if I've been to Kang's (but a couple peopel have mentioned it so clearly I should give it a try).

There's a group in Ann Arbor that's starting a bibimbop tour - they want to try a different place each week until they've had them all.  Alas, weekday lunches are more suited to students than working moms.

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Yes! He came three weeks early, on August 7 - we are doing great.

I'll have to check out that grocery - I can't wait to move back to Ann Arbor.

I hated Steve's lunch when I went - Kang's is much better - let me know what you think when you make it there.

Edited August 25, 2005 by daniellewiley (log)

[tino27]

I have just recently been turned onto the joy that is Bi Bim Bap and found a local Korean place where I can order it. My dilemma though is that I am having trouble conveying to the chef that I want my egg sunny-side up so that I can break the yolk and mix all of the eggy goodness into the rest of the bowl. No matter what I try (and I've tried three times now), I can't seem to convey my message correctly. 3 times I've ordered it and 3 times the egg comes out completely cooked all the way through. The rest of the dish is fantastic though.

Any thoughts from you fellow Bi Bim Bap lovers out there?

I must have impressed my server (who I think was the wife of the cook/owner) because at the end of the meal she offered me a glass of soojunggwa (which was quite delicious).

[Kleatius]

Hey, a Bimbimbap thread! Nice!

Anyone know anything about the proper way to serve Gojuchang? If you eat it straight from the tub it doesn't have the same taste or consistency as when I've had it at Korean restaurants. I usually try making a sauce with Gojuchang, rice vinegar and sugar and it turns out pretty close to the real deal. Anyone have a proper recipe?

[Domestic Goddess]

Kleatius - what you're doing is right. Just mix a little rice vinegar, sugar and a little water to thin out the gochujang, put into a ketchup squeeze bottle and you have gochujang that is served in bibimbap restaurants. I'll try to see in my pics if I have a picture of that ketchup squeeze bottle.

[AmritaBala]

Have a look at : http://www.maangchi.com

she's a pretty awesome korean cook! She shows you how to make bibimbap, bulgogie, dduk bokkie, and so many other korean dishes. Good luck!

[Chufi]

Hey, a Bimbimbap thread! Nice!

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there's another great bibimbap thread here!

[jfrater]

Hey all - it is nice to see a bibimbap thread here! I thought I would post a photo of the most recent one I made (well my partner made it under my watchful eye and I plated it - normally I do all the Korean cooking). This is in the jeonju style - the area from which bibimbap first came - it has more vegetables than one normally finds on bibimbap and it also has gingko nuts, walnuts, and pine nuts.

It was delicious