Bibimbap

Ingredients

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• For the sauce: Combine all ingredients and set aside. This sauce is served separately, according to each one’s taste. If you don’t like spicy food, you can omit this sauce and use soy sauce or fermented soy bean paste (miso) instead.
  
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• For the meat: Mix all the marinade ingredients with the meat and set aside while you prepare the vegetables. After the vegetables are prepared and sauteed, saute the meat over high heat until it is cooked through. Put aside.
  
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• For the vegetables: Julienne or slice the vegetables. Other than vegetables like lettuce or cucumber, sauté the julienned vegetables very briefly (they should remain crunchy), one at a time, in a pan that has been lightly greased with sesame oil, over medium high heat (you can, of course, keep them raw if you prefer). Add a pinch of salt. Set aside separately. Cut the seaweed into thin strips using kitchen scissors and set aside also.
  
• To assemble: Just before serving, fry the egg (if using), or make an omelette and slice into strips. You can even serve a raw egg yolk if you prefer.
  
• Brush some sesame oil in a large cast iron skillet (fry-pan). Heat the pan on the stove top over medium heat without a lid.
• Over top, lay out the rice – it should start to sizzle. Arrange the prepared vegetables and the meat, side by side, over top. Finally, place the fried egg (or raw egg yolk) or omelette strips on top (otherwise, you can add individual eggs on top of each person’s plate once you’ve dished them out). Drizzle some sauce over top.
• Cook for about 5-10 minutes, depending on your stove. Keep a close eye on it, as you want the rice at the bottom to form a thin, crunchy layer, but you don’t want it to burn.
  
• When it’s ready, pierce the egg yolk (if using) and stir it through the dish, combining the ingredients, then serve on to individual plates with extra sauce on the side.