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Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Inside a Bowl of Bipimbap

Before I stirred the contents with chopsticks, my bipimbap was a work of art, ingredients in their respective provinces, topped with a sunny egg, jiggly yellow belly in the middle.

This dish, apparently a favorite of Gweneth Paltrow, is most famous in the rice growing valleys of South Korea. Each region has cuisine unique to its climate. For instance, mushrooms and other wild plants are cultivated in the mountains, so North Eastern Korea has staple food with wild ferns and native roots.

What's in bipimbap, you ask? You can easily make it at home. Bipimbap is rice topped with dried seaweed, kimchi, lettuce, cucumber, sprouts (or alternative vegetables), and egg!

It's delicious and frankly less of a commitment than a boiling cauldron of kimchi jiggae. Kimchi jiggae takes time to prepare, then needs to sit and cool. Bits of red pepper cling to your teeth-- you find out who your true friends are, afterwards! Who needs that hassle?

If you're on the run, order bipimbap, served in less than 5 minutes. It's flavored by gochujang: red chili paste, healthy and cheap: 3,000 W.

5 comments:

Craig said...

I arrived at this post exactly at the wrong time. It is just about noon in Minnesota and I was about to retreat to my kitchen for a yogurt and banana. Somehow, I don't think it will suffice after seeing your picture of bipimbap. ; )

Eva Karrin McKinnon said...

hahaha the worst is when you read someone's food blog just before bed and you're suddenly famished.

Anonymous said...

I jsut came across your blog thru story of indian college..n knowing bout the purpose u did tempt me to leave my job n go exploring..which has been my dream always ...
the picture n details u have brought does tempt to visit korea once..pics r really good...

seeing ur interest i msut suggest u to come to India..u will love it

Eva Karrin McKinnon said...

I'm enjoying his blog. And I definitely will be traveling to India someday!

Anonymous said...

i love your blog! :) im thinking about going to teach in korea next year. On the topic of korean food, do you find you feel/are healthyer eating mostly korean food as opposed to western food?
also a question not related, do you see/ know many asian native english speakers who teach in korea? and how they get on compared to caucasians?