TheLunarCat

Bibimbap translated means “mixed rice”.  It is a single bowl rice dish that you can add any number of toppings to, so the number of combinations is endless. It is accompanied by a sauce made with gochujang (spicy fermented pepper paste), an essential ingredient in Korean cooking. A fried egg is placed on top of the dish. Toppings could include any number of possibilities such as vegetable sides (called muchim or banchan) and kimchi (fermented cabbage), bulgogi (marinated meat), fish cakes, sauteed squid and whatever you have left in the fridge.

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The origins of bibimbap start with a dish called Goldongban ( which means disorderly mix), a dish of rice with vegetables, with meat and sauce mixed in. This dish emerged sometime during the Joseon Period (1392 to 1897). This dish was traditionally eaten on the eve of New Years, so people could clean out their pantries. The first time “Bibimbap” is mentioned in a cookbook is in the late 1800s, in a cookbook called "Siuijeonseo” whose author is unknown, but assumed to be a woman of nobility.

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Banchan translated means “side dish”. It is considered to be an essential part of a Korean meal. Kimchi is the most popular Banchan, which is now readily available in most Australian supermarkets. Kimchi is fermented vegetables, typically cabbage. Other types of banchan include seasoned vegetables (called muchim), pickled vegetables, braised tofu, potato salad and more. Banchan dishes are also used to top Bibimbap.

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It is believed that Buddhists influenced the introduction of banchan into Korean meals. During the mid-three Kingdom period of Korea (57 BCE – 668 CE), Buddhism spread to Korea and this led to a ban on consumption of meat, which gave rise to dishes of seafood, grains and vegetables being prepared, as Korea is mountainous and surrounded on three sides by sea.  When the Mongols invaded and defeated Korea between 1231 and 1259, there was an end to the ban on meat dishes, but as banchan had been around for so long, it became a permanent part of the cuisine.

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Watch the following video, for preparing these banchan the night before:

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