Veggie Bibimbap

This is the fourth in a series of attempts I’m making to replicate meal delivery recipes on my own for anything approaching the same cost and perceived quality of those services.  This is a recipe I would like to dissuade others from cooking, even if some box of ingredients shows up on your doorstep.  Yes it’s delicious, but damn is it a ton of work! There is lots of technical knife work, tons of prep, and a quick, high-pressure cooking process. Steer clear of it and go buy your own bibimbap from like any Korean restaurant anywhere.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 3 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 scallions, white ends discarded, green parts sliced thin lengthwise
• 1 bunch asparagus, snap off the woody ends, cut the rest into 2-inch pieces on the bias
• 1 bunch swiss chard, stems separated from leaves. Slice the stems thin and chop the leaves rough
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp gochugaru
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• Salt

Begin by cooking the rice. If you don’t know how to cook rice, go online and follow the instructions. Keep in mind the Blue Apron recipe calls for one cup of rice, which turns out to be a shitload of rice when it’s cooked, way more than you need. Consider cutting it down to half a cup, unless you want extra rice for fried rice leftovers the next day.

While the rice is cooking, heat two teaspoons of vegetable oil (not olive oil!) in a non-stick skillet on medium-high until just smoking.  Toss in the asparagus and chard stems and leaves.  Blue Apron says also throw in the garlic but that’s just asking for badly burned garlic so I’d say wait 2-3 minutes until the other veggies are about done, then throw in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Transfer the stuff to a plate and wipe the skillet clean.

Now add two teaspoons of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high until smoking.  Add the mushrooms and season them with salt and pepper. Cook the ‘shrooms for 2 minutes or so, then transfer to the plate with the other cooked veggies and wipe out the pan again (WHICH IS ANNOYING!)

Now hopefully the rice is ready.  Add two teaspoons of vegetable oil into the pan and once again, bring it to nearly smoking over medium high heat. Throw the insane amount of rice you just made into the pan along with the sesame oil, soy sauce, and gochugaru. Cook it, stirring regularly, for about 2 minutes until everything is combined, then divide among two bowls. Now everybody, once again: WIPE THE PAN CLEAN (ugh).

Now add two more teaspoons of oil to the pan and turn the heat on low until hot. Crack the two eggs into the pan (it can be easier to crack them into individual bowls beforehand). Season with salt and pepper and cook them to the point where you want them. Add all the veggies on-top of the rice, throw the egg on each bowl, the garnish with the sesame seeds, carrots, and scallions.

Like Kai Ryssdal, let’s do the numbers

• Eggs – $3.49
• Mushrooms – $2.09
• Scallions – $2.16
• Asparagus – 5.64
• Swiss Chard – $2.99
• Carrot – $0.33
• Gochugaru – $6.49
• Sesame Oil – In Stock
• Soy Sauce – In Stock
• Garlic – In Stock
• Rice – In Stock

Total – $23.19

While not a victory in any real sense of the word, I realized that this is a recipe that nobody should ever use.  It’s fussy, overly complex, and not worth the effort. We did manage to make leftovers the next day so there’s a small victory there, and that drops the cost of the dish in half. It wasn’t worth it.  Happy to take a loss here if for no other reason than to make sure I learn my damn lesson.