Bi bimbap - Korean Mixed meal

I'm a die hard fan of Korean food and Dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥, "dolsot" meaning "stone pot"), is my favorite one. Almost every second day I eat this.
It is served in a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.

The Stone pot (dolsot) is so hot that anything that touches it sizzles for minutes. Before the rice is placed in the bowl, the bottom of the bowl is coated with sesame oil, making the layer of the rice touching the bowl golden brown and crispy.

Bibimbap is cheap and easy to make, requiring a short preparation time and few ingredients. Most ingredients are available in your kitchen. Though I do not have Dolsot (stone pot) still I prepare it as lunch specially on Sunday with lots of variations. I prepare egg poach and put all things together and then keep it in hot oven for 6/7 minute. But eating in Dolsot is really the main fun as it makes crackling sound while eating.

Although it is a high calorie food, I cut it's calories by using lean meat and some times fish, the portions are enormous, meaning you stay full longer. Bibimbap never uses any artificial ingredients--natural, organic ingredients make the bulk of this diet dish. Green leafy vegetables, lean meat, and shredded seaweed provide numerous health and dietary benefits to people who want to lose weight fast, so make sure to fill up.

* I used Stir fried dried Anchovy instead of Meat.


I have adapted this recipe from Maangchi
I'm great fan of her recipes and videos.

Ingredients:
Bibimbap (Mixed rice with vegetables)

For 4- 6 servings.
Ingredients:
Cooked rice
a package of bean sprouts
a bunch of spinach
2 small size of zucchinis
5-7 Shiitake mushrooms
fern brakes (kosari) * I used cut Ottogi seaweeds
200 grams of ground beef (about half a pound) * I used Fish
1 small carrot, eggs
soy sauce, hot pepper paste, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and vegetable oilRecipe:
Arrange everything on a platter.

1. Cook rice. You can use a rice cooker or a stainless pot.
2. Next, you need to prepare a large platter to put all your ingredients on. Rinse your bean sprouts 3 times and put them in a pot with a cup of water. Add 1 ts of salt and cook for 20 minutes. Drain water and mix it with 1 clove of minced garlic, sesame oil and a pinch of salt.
3. Put it on the platter.
4. Put your spinach in a pot of boiling water and stir it for a minute. Then rinse it in cold water a few times and squeeze it lightly. Mix it with a pinch of salt, 1 ts of soy sauce, 1 clove of minced garlic and sesame oil. Put it on the platter
5. Cut 2 small size zucchinis into thin strips, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, and then mix them together. A few minutes later, sauté them in a pan over high heat. When it’s cooked, it will look a little translucent. Put it on the platter.
6. You can buy soaked and cooked “kosari” at a Korean grocery store. Prepare about 2 or 3 cups of kosari for this 4 servings of bibimbap. Cut it into pieces 5-7 cm long and sauté in a heated pan with 1 ts of vegetable oil. Stir and add 1 tbs of soy sauce, 1/2 tbs of sugar, and cook them for 1-2 minutes. Add sesame oil. Put it on the platter.
7. Slice shitake mushrooms thinly and sauté with 1 ts of vegetable oil. Add 2 ts of soy sauce and 1 or 2 ts of sugar and stir it for 2 minutes. Add some sesame oil, and put it on the platter.
8. On a heated pan, put some oil and 200 grams of ground beef and stir it. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tbs of soy sauce, 1/2 tbs of sugar, a little grounded black pepper, and sesame oil.
9.Put it on the platter.
10.Cut a carrot into strips, sauté it for 30 seconds and put it on the platter.
11. prepare eggs with sunny side up.
12. Put your rice In a big bowl, and attractively display all your vegetables and meat t. Place the sunny side up egg on the center.
13. Serve it with sesame oil and hot pepper paste.
14. Lastly, mix it up and eat!

Hot Bibimbap with Home made Kimchi

Fishy Snack - Stirfried dried Anchovy

멸치볶음 / Myulchibokkeum

I love to eat fish but I used to stay away from dried fish due to the foul smell while preparing. However, last month, while I was eating in a korean restaurant, they served this as a side dish. So, I tried one piece and it tasted so good that I finished it in a couple of minutes. Then I decided to prepare this dish. Thanks to this Lady Maangchi, her site is very helpful in preparing Korean dishes.

The sun dried anchovy side dish is one of the basic Korean side dishes, usually eaten with a bowl of rice.
Recipe Adapted from Maangchi
Ingredients:
* 2 cups dried anchovy, olive oil, brown sugar,
* garlic, hot pepper paste, corn syrup, water,
* sesame oil, sesame seeds

For mild myulchi bokkeum: *Specially for my Baby

1. Stir 1 cup of small dried anchovy in a heated pan for 1 minute.
2. Add 1 tbs olive oil and stir it for another minute.
3. Push the cooked myulchi to the edge of the pan away from the heat.
4. Make sauce by adding 1 or 2 tbs sugar, ½ ts minced garlic, 2 ts water, and 1/2 tbs corn syrup (optional) to the cleared spot on the pan.
5. Tip the pan so only the sauce is over the heat. Simmer it until the sauce looks shiny.
6. Mix the cooked anchovy with the sauce and turn the heat off.
7. Add ½ tbs sesame seeds and 1 ts of sesame seeds.

For spicy myulchi bokkeum:

1. Stir 1 cup of small dried anchovy in a heated pan for 1 minute.
2. Add 1 tbs olive oil and stir it for another minute.
3. Push the cooked myulchi to the edge of the pan away from the heat.
4. Make sauce by adding 1 tbs hot pepper paste, 1 tbs sugar , ½ ts minced garlic, 4 ts water, ½ tbs corn syrup to the cleared spot on the pan.
5. Tip the pan so only the sauce is over the heat and simmer until the sauce looks shiny.
6. Mix the cooked anchovy with the sauce and then turn the heat off.
7. Add 1 ts sesame oil and ½ tbs sesame seeds.

Health Nutrition & Benefits of Eating Anchovy

* Anchovies contain a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are heart friendly. They can help to lower the cholesterol level in blood, thereby reducing the risk of heart ailments.
* Anchovies are also very high on protein and are considered as an essential nutrient for growing children as well as older people. Five anchovies have nine grams of protein and only fifty-five calories.
* Anchovies are a rich source of vitamins such as Vitamin E and D, which are essential for the body. They are also a good source of minerals like calcium and selenium. Selenium is a trace mineral, which plays an important role in cancer prevention.
* Small fish such as anchovies are rated better than bigger fish, because they contain a lesser amount of heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic and environmental toxins. Since smaller fish has a shorter life cycle, the possibility of accumulating impurities is rather low.
(Source : http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-anchovy-6746.html)

Kimchi...My way

I'm really fan....of this korean side dish Kimchi. without its I cant image my food .... so many dishes I prepared with it.... Kimchi rice, Kimchi Soup, Kimchi in Omlate, Kimchi ramen, Stew. I also add kimchi in my Kimbap, Pizza, burgers, sanwitch etc. Its high fibrous food gives you more nutrition and keep away from obesity :) ....
Kimchi is Korean side dish made from Nefa cabbage, (and sometimes radish) dish—made with a mix of garlic, kosher salt, vinegar, chile peppers, and other spices.

Why I love Kimchi so much :
First upall I like spicy food and kimchi provide this taste without fats, secondly Kimchi (or gimchee) is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, but its biggest benefit may be in its “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli, found in fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt. This good bacteria helps with digestion, plus it seems to help stop and even prevent yeast infections, according to a recent study. And more good news: Some studies show fermented cabbage has compounds that may prevent the growth of cancer.
This are the nutritional facts I calculated from the ingredients I used.


Preparation time 20 min

Ingredients
* 20 cups or one big Nappa Cabbage
* 1 medium Apple, Raw
* 3 tbsp Kosher Salt
* 1 tbsp Sugar
* 10 Raw Clove
* 3 tbsp Rice Vinegar
* 1 cup Onions, Green (scallion)
* 1 cup Onions
* 3 Tsp Sweet Rice
* 3 tbsp Red Chillie Powder

* optional - oyster sauce or fresh oysters



Wash and cut Neffa cabbage. Add kosher salt and keep this for 6/ 8 hours .
Grid together garlic, onion, scallion and apple add red chilli powder, sugar, rice powder and Rice vinegar make paste .



Now add this paste in Neffa cabbage. Mix well.



Transfer seasoned cabbage leaves into a large glass bottle. Be sure to use firm pressure with your hands to push down on cabbage leaves as they stack up inside the bottle. Transfer any liquid that accumulated during the mixing process into the bottle as well - it will become kim chi brine. Some liquid will also come out of the cabbage leaves as you press down on them as they are stacked in the bottle.

Leave about 2 inches of room at the top of the bottle before capping it tightly with a lid. Allow bottle of kimchi to sit at room temperature for 2-3 days and then Refrigerate remaining kimchi.


Kimchi with Kimbap