Summer Bibimbap

If I could only eat one food, it would be bibimbap. It's versatile, colourful, and jam packed with balanced macro and micro nutrients.

Bibimbap can be a humble food but also a festive and fancy food if you eat it at restaurants. Each season, seasonal vegetables and herbs are used to make bibimbap more fun and nutritious. Hope you enjoy this recipe! 
 

Ingredients

1-1.5 cups             Cooked sushi rice for each bowl
2 cups                     Torn or sliced oyster mushrooms/crimini/shiitake (any kind you want)
1 medium-size      Eggplant 
2 cups                    packed spinach 
2 cups                    packed chopped swiss chard 
1 medium-size       Bell pepper julienned 
4 Tbsp                     Water 
Seasoning for eggplant
1 Tbsp                      Leek Miso
1 tsp                         Soy sauce
Seasoning for oyster mushrooms
1⁄2 Tbsp                    Soy sauce
1 tsp                          Maple syrup
1⁄2 tsp                       Minced garlic

* Or 1 Tbsp Leek Miso

Sauce

Gochujang base (spicy)
2 Tbsp               Gochujang
1 Tbsp               Toasted sesame oil or ginger & black garlic olive oil (*see note)
1 Tbsp               Hot water
1⁄2 Tbsp           Maple syrup
1 tsp                  Minced garlic
(optional)        Toasted sesame seeds
** You can simply use just Gochujang and sesame oil too.

Soy sauce base
2 Tbsp               Soy sauce
1 Tbsp               Maple syrup
1-2 tsp              Minced garlic
1 tsp                  Toasted sesame seeds
1⁄2 Tbsp            Toasted sesame oil or ginger & black garlic olive oil (*see                               note)
1 Tbsp               Chopped green onions or chives

*Note: This infused olive oil surprisingly tastes and smells like toasted sesame oil, so if you are allergic to sesame seeds, you can replace it with this oil.

Instructions

Each ingredient is cooked separately and set aside. You can make a bigger batch to keep them in the fridge for 3 days for more bibimbap or summer noodle dishes.

1. Eggplant

- Cut eggplant into strips and drizzle oil on the heated frying pan.
- Stir fry the eggplant until nice and soft, then add Leek miso and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

2. Oyster mushrooms

- Tear oyster mushrooms (or cut crimini or shiitake) into strips, then stir fry on medium-high heat (if the heat is low, they produce too much water).
-  Add the seasoning listed above or simply use Leek Miso.

3. Swiss chard

- Place chopped chards on the heated pan then add 2 Tbsp of water and  add a sprinkle of salt (roughly 1⁄4 tsp more or less)
- Cook until the leaves are wilted and water evaporates. Set this aside.

4. Spinach  - Same as swiss chard and finish with a dash of toasted sesame oil to finish.

5.  Bell pepper - Slice the pepper into thin strips. You can use raw or stir fry quickly.

6. Assemble bibimbap

Put 1-1.5 cups of cooked rice in a deep noodle bowl and place prepared veggies around the rice. Drizzle the sauce of choice (either Gochujang or soy sauce or both). Mix all the ingredients well until rice is coated with the sauce without any white lumps of rice.

** Bibimbap is so versatile, you can use any seasonal vegetables. Carrot, sprouts, salad greens, and different proteins of your choice, so be creative!