Bibimbap with Broccoli and Daikon

My Korean friend gave me some  hund-made kimuche!  It tastes so fresh and delicious☆  I asked her for the recipe, and it sounds very simple.  Just need more ingredients than Japanese pickles.  I may try making different kinds of kimche at home sometime.

I made bibimbap with her kimche.

“Bibim” means “mix” in Korean, and as this name indicates this dish is eaten by mixing up all the ingredients.

There are basic ingredients to make bibimbap, but you can actually use any food.  I had broccoli and daikon in my fridge, so I added them to the bibimbap.  If you have some vegetables that have been sitting in the fridge and you want to use up, you can make bibimbap!

Adding bean shoots (as a standard ingredient) to bibimbap is my favorite, but I didn’t have bean shoot in the fridge.  If you are using bean shoot, refer my bean shoot, carrot and spring onion Namul recipe.

I used the leftover of hamburg , and made it chunky for the texture.  You can jut use minced beef for the recipe.  You can also use bulkogi for the topping of bibimbap.

<Bibimbap with broccoli and daikon> serves 2

beef:

• around 200g beef mince
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp soy sauce

• around 4 florets broccoli
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 pinch salt

• around 10cm daikon
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce

• around 6 tbs kimche
• 2 eggs
• 400g steamed rice
• gochujang (around 2 ~ 5 tbs)

Japanese Rice Soup with Salmon (Salmon Zosui)

It’s stormy lately in Perth.  Very strong wind and cold rain.  Warm up your body with this Japanese rice soup with grilled salty salmon

Zosui is a Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice and water.  There is a similar dish called okayu, but okayu is cooked from uncooked rice and to more watery consistency.

Grill the salmon first with seasonings.  The salmon looks so delicious at this point, but it will be added to the simmering rice soup.  Pre-cooked rice is simmered in dashi water with mushroom, then dried wakame, blanched spinach and chopped spring onion will be added.  Mushroom and wakame gives the flavor to the soup too.

<Salmon Zosui> serves 2

salmon:

• 200g salmon fillet (skinned and boned)
• 1 tbs mirin and 1 pinch salt for seasoning salmon

• 500ml (2 cups) water
• 5 cm konbu (dried seaweed sheet)
• 2 dried shiitake mushroom

• 200g cooked rice, cold (I used brown rice)
• 100g oyster mushroom
• 2 bunches spinach
• 1 tbs dried cut wakame
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbs sake
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 ~ 1 tsp salt
• chopped spring onion to garnish

Rice Balls with Roasted Eels (Unagi Balls)

I made this to eat at home, but it’s also a great item for picnic.  It’s such easy to make and looks cute, like temari-sushi (small and ball-shaped sushi). You can add more colors such as red (red ginger), green (green veggie or green pickles), orange (tobikko) …

The good thing is, you don’t even need to make your hands dirty – shape it by using pieces of plastic wrap.

I used normal steamed rice (not vinegared rice) so this is not sushi.  You can use vinegared rice if you like.

Colourful Rice Balls (onigiri)

As I mentioned before, steamed rice is an essential item for Japanese cuisine.  We sometimes eat just rice and tea as a meal.  A rice ball (onigiri) is a very common snack food which can be purchased at convenience stores, super markets and kiosks at train stations.  (Normally in triangle shape)

When we make bento, we sometimes shape the rice into balls or triangles to enjoy the looks.  This colorful rice balls look cute and I sure want to use it as a bento item if I’m making one   You can also arrange the ingredients and make your own color of onigiri.

When making onigiri, the rice has to be hot.  Normally we shape the rice with bare hands, with a bowl of salted water to dip the hands before handling hot rice.  You can also shape onigiri using a plastic wrap film if you don’t want to use your hands.

<Colourful Rice Balls>  makes 1 set

Ume (pickled plum):

• 50g steamed rice
• 1 ume

Spicy Fried Rice with Kimuchi (Kimuchi Cha-han)

Cha-han means “fried rice” in Japanese.  Add kimuchi to make a sour and spicy Korean flavored fried rice.

<kimuchi Cha-han> serves 2

• 1/2 cup kimuchi (Chinese Cabbage), roughly chopped
• 2 bowls steamed rice, cold
• 1 egg
• 100g beef, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• chopped spring onions for garnish

1. Heat a wok over high heat.  Pour in vegetable oil, then stir in garlic and beef: cook about 30 seconds.  Crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs.
2. Stir in cooked rice and kimuchi.  Cook over high heat, and shake in soy sauce then toss rice to coat.
3. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again.

You can add more kimuchi to your liking