Bibimbap

This is Bibimbap. My new obsession.

At first, this typical Korean dish looked completely unappetizing to me. Eggs belong next to bacon and toast, surely not on vegetables, rice, and beef. But the pure dynamics of the bibimbap dish make it delicious. Let me explain.

For lunch, a group of us often venture out to nearby hole-in-the-wall resturants and our classic non-Chinese staples. In an effort to break out of the mold, the BFF and a few others (not me) tried a homestyle Korean place within a 5-minute walk from the Consulate. "Cheap and tasty!" they reported back. Skeptical, I allowed myself to be lured into the restaurant the next time they went, but looked appallingly at the bibimbap dish as I ate my beef sushi roll. 

The dish is composed of a bed of warm rice, covered with sauteed veggies, kimchee sauce, sliced beef, and a mostly-fried egg on top, and served in a hot stone bowl. Veggies most often include carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts, and spinach. Bibimbap strategy includes quickly mixing the egg into the veggies, beef, and rice so it cooks completely against the heat of the bowl and the warm rice. Some people enjoy a runny-egg bibimbap, and let the rice get crunchy in the bottom of the bowl instead. 

As a mostly visual eater, I often find it hard to believe people when they say something tastes good that looks unappealing. Take Indian curry, for example. No, I do not want to eat a dish that looks like I had diarreha onto a plate. But lo and behold, it tastes SO GOOD!!! The BFF has done a wonderful job at encouraging me to eat beyond my comfort zone. She succeeded with Korean bibimbap as well.

My second visit with folks to the Korean restaurant is forever etched in my memory. There I stood, in front of the counter, not statisfied with the beef rolls I ate the time before. "Could it really be so bad?" I thought to myself. True, I had admired the smell of warm beef and eggs wafting from my colleagues stone bowls. I did enjoy hearing the sound of the crackling egg as the bowl is served steaming to the table. I do like all the composite parts of the dish by themselves, so could it be that I like them together? Let's do this, I said. I paid my 9RMB (the equivalent of $1.50), and minutes later I was served my very own sizzling bowl of Korean goodness.

The Shenyang version of bibimbap

"How do I do this?" I asked. Simple, stick your spoon in and stir! Mix to your heart's content. Add more kimchee sauce if you want it spicier (I didn't). Then, dig in! After one bite, I knew I was hooked.

Mixed to perfection.

My mouth is watering now as I type this. I've been dreaming about bibimbap ever since I had it that first time. It's the perfect combination of savory and spicy. The beef fries up really nicely with the egg, and mixed together with the rice and veggies, the texture is perfect. Every time I get to the bottom of the bowl, I find it difficult to resist scraping all the rice from the sides and basically licking the bowl clean. Before I left for the US for Christmas, I had looked forward to going to the Beijing airport to get my last bowl of bibimbap before I left at their Korean restaurant. I was incredibly sad to find upon my arrival that the restaurant was closed, permanently. Despite all the delicious food I had at home (and there was a lot of it), I was still very happy when I got back and my first meal was at the good ol' Korean restaurant around the corner. Who knew I would fall so deeply for this simple staple? I surely didn't. But I know now that one thing is true: I love you, bibimbap. I really do.