Jinju Bibimbap (진주비빔밥, Jinju Mixed Rice)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rice cooker or heavy pot with tight lid
• •Medium lidded pot for broth and soybean sprouts
• •10-inch skillet for namul and jidan
• •At least 6 small mixing bowls for separate seasoning
• •Sharp knife for matchstick cuts
• •Wide shallow brass, ceramic, or stoneware bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the rice

   Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear, then cook it with 2 cups water in a rice cooker or heavy pot. Let it rest 10 minutes after cooking, then fluff gently. Jinju bibimbap needs warm rice with separate grains; wet rice turns the namul heavy and makes you reach for too much sauce.

2. 2

   Make sprout broth

   Put 5 cups water, the anchovies, and the kelp in a medium pot over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as the water reaches a simmer, then simmer the anchovies 8 minutes more and remove them. Add the soybean sprouts, soup soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and simmer 8 minutes without lifting the lid. Drain the sprouts and keep at least 1 1/2 cups of the clear broth warm for serving.

   Kelp turns slippery and bitter if it boils too long. Soybean sprouts also punish curiosity: cook them lid on the whole time or lid off the whole time, not halfway between.
3. 3

   Season the sprouts

   While the sprouts are still warm, season them in their own bowl with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds. Taste one sprout. It should be clean and nutty, not salty, because the broth and sauce will come later.

4. 4

   Mix the sauce

   Stir together the gochujang, 1 tablespoon of the warm sprout broth, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon rice syrup or honey, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds. This makes enough sauce for the table, not a blanket for the rice. Start with less than you think.

5. 5

   Make jidan

   Beat the egg yolks with a pinch of salt in one bowl and the whites with a pinch of salt in another. Wipe a skillet with a thin film of neutral oil and cook each into a very thin sheet over low heat. Cool, then cut into fine threads. Low heat keeps the color clean, which matters in a bowl called flower rice.

   Jidan (thin egg garnish) can be made a few hours ahead. Cover it so the edges do not dry out.
6. 6

   Cook zucchini carrot

   Toss the julienned zucchini with 1/4 teaspoon salt and rest 10 minutes, then squeeze lightly. Saute it with 1 teaspoon neutral oil for 1 to 2 minutes, just until flexible, then finish with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil. Wipe the pan, saute the carrot with 1 teaspoon neutral oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt for 1 to 2 minutes, then finish with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil. Keep them separate so their colors stay clear.

7. 7

   Season the spinach

   Bring a pot of water to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt. Blanch the spinach 30 seconds, rinse under cold water, and squeeze firmly until it no longer drips. Cut into 2-inch lengths and season in its own bowl with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 minced garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Water left in spinach steals flavor from the whole bowl.

8. 8

   Cook the doraji

   Rub the doraji with 1 teaspoon salt for 1 minute, then rinse well and squeeze dry. This takes away the harsh bitterness without erasing the root's own clean bite. Saute with 1 teaspoon neutral oil and 1/2 minced garlic clove for 2 minutes, then season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

9. 9

   Cook the gosari

   Warm 1 teaspoon neutral oil in the skillet. Add the gosari and 1 minced garlic clove, then cook 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 tablespoons sprout broth and cook until the liquid is almost gone and the fern looks glossy. Finish with 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Gosari is fibrous; it needs that little drink of broth to soften and carry the seasoning.

10. 10

    Season the beef

    Just before serving, keep the beef very cold and toss it with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 teaspoon rice syrup or honey, 1 grated garlic clove, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, and the black pepper. Fold in half the pear matchsticks and save the rest for the top. The beef should be seasoned, not sweet.

    Use raw beef only if your butcher sells whole-muscle beef suitable for raw preparation, and serve it the same day. Raw beef is not for pregnant people, young children, older adults, or immunocompromised guests. For a safer table, sear the seasoned beef strips in a very hot pan for 20 to 30 seconds and use them the same way.
11. 11

    Arrange the bowls

    Put about 1 cup warm rice in each wide bowl and spoon 2 tablespoons warm sprout broth over the rice. Arrange the toppings in separate bands: soybean sprouts, spinach, gosari, doraji, zucchini, and carrot. Place the seasoned beef and pear at the center, then lay the yellow and white jidan over the top. Add a small spoon of sauce at the rim, or serve the sauce separately.

12. 12

    Mix at table

    At the table, add 2 teaspoons sauce and 1 more tablespoon sprout broth to each bowl, then mix from the bottom up. Add more sauce only by the teaspoon. The finished bibimbap should be glossy and loose enough to eat easily, not red, wet, or soupy. Let it taste like itself.

    Set the bowls down before mixing so people see the flower. That pause is part of Jinju bibimbap.

Chef Tips

• •The safe shortcuts are these: use a rice cooker, buy prepared gosari, and make the namul a day ahead. The unsafe shortcut is mixing vegetables together before seasoning. Then every color tastes the same.
• •If you cannot find doraji, use thin strips of Korean radish salted for 10 minutes and squeezed dry. It is not the same root, but it gives a clean pale bite. Cook the month you're standing in: spring minari, autumn mushrooms, and winter radish all belong when the market says so.
• •Keep the gochujang sauce restrained. Jinju bibimbap is not a red bowl. The sauce should sharpen the rice and namul, not make them disappear.
• •For raw beef, buy from a butcher you trust, use whole muscle, trim the exterior with a clean knife, keep it cold, and cut it just before serving. If there is any doubt, sear it. Food is respect for life, and that includes the people at your table.
• •Serve the extra bean-sprout broth in small bowls or a little pot at the table. A spoonful loosens the rice more cleanly than extra sauce does.

Advance Preparation

• •The bean-sprout broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm it gently before serving so it loosens the rice.
• •The gochujang sauce keeps for 1 week in the refrigerator. Stir before using, because sesame oil rises.
• •Gosari can be soaked and boiled a day ahead if starting from dried. Use about 40g dried gosari to make 200g prepared gosari, and cook it until tender before seasoning.
• •All namul except the beef can be cooked up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated in separate containers. Bring them close to room temperature before assembling, or the rice cools too fast.
• •Cut and season the beef only right before serving. Do not store leftover raw seasoned beef; cook any extra immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 850g)