Bibimbap

About the dish

Bibimbap means mixed rice in Korean. It is a bowl of warm rice topped with seasoned vegetables, often a little beef, an egg and a spoonful of gochujang, all stirred together just before eating. The city of Jeonju is especially famous for it.

Each vegetable is prepared separately as namul: spinach blanched and dressed with sesame oil and garlic, soybean sprouts, carrot, zucchini, mushrooms and bracken fern are common. They are arranged in sections over the rice so the bowl looks like a wheel of colors. The egg may be fried with a soft yolk or added as a raw yolk that cooks against the hot rice.

In dolsot bibimbap, the bowl is a heavy stone pot heated until very hot and oiled, so the rice against the stone sizzles into a golden, crunchy crust. Gochujang, a fermented red chili paste, brings sweet heat and savory depth, sesame oil adds richness, and the greens bring a light bitter note. Mixing it all spreads the sauce and yolk through every grain.

Written from general cooking knowledge, as background on a dish from the game’s recipe book. It is not a tested recipe.

The flavors it leans on

• Savory
• Heat
• Sweet