The Agony of [Pierogi] Defeat and the Ecstasy of [Bibimbap] Victory

We certainly have run the culinary gamut this week.

On Sunday, I decided to try my hand at Polish cooking by trying out this Potato and Cheese Pierogi recipe from My Gourmet Connection. The result of this adventure, unfortunately, was neither very gourmet nor very connected to what a pierogi is actually supposed to look like. After about an hour and a half of chopping, mixing, rolling, filling, and standing over a pot of boiling water (what I've since dubbed "the Polish facial"), I produced the most monstrously large, greasy pierogis I have ever seen. They were about the size of tacos or burritos and doughier than me in third grade.

I was disappointed; for something that I'd worked so hard and sweat so profusely to create, they didn't taste like the victory I was hoping for.

Luckily, though, that victory came the next night in the form of Spicy Korean Pork and bibimbap, a dish I've been curious to try ever since my sister- and mother-in-law came back from a trip to South Korea and regaled us with tales of dishes with curiously adventurous names like "kimchi" and "bulgogi." I began cooking the recipe convinced that it, like the pierogis, was doomed to certain failure.

The second I put the shreds of pork in the chili marinade, though, I knew it was going to be a good dish. The marinade is a combination of chili paste, chili seeds, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. And as soon as that marinated pork hit the hot pan, I was in love.

This dish is really played out in two parts: the first part is the bibimbap, Korea's answer to China's fried rice. Bibimbap is a crispy "fried" rice created by coating a pan with sesame oil, patting already cooked and cooled rice down, and letting it do its thing until it's nice and brown and crispy.

The second part of the dish is the spicy pork I was talking about earlier. Simply create the marinade/sauce, coat the pork in it, and cook over medium-high heat until your growling stomach and taste buds and take it no longer. I love dishes that use pork because it's such an affordable meat, much more so than chicken or beef, and that's always a good thing for folks (like us) who are on a budget.

The finished spread.

Spicy Korean Pork (adapted from Beyond Kimchee's Recipe) and Bibimbap
Prep time: 5 min.
Cook time: 20 min.
Serves: 2

For the Spicy Korean Pork:
Ingredients:

• 1/2-1 lb. pork (We used a roast and then just shaved off very thin slices off of it for this dish and then used the rest for a pulled pork recipe. I love ingredients that do double duty.)
• 3 T chili paste (Sambal Oelek. You can find it pretty much anywhere; we get ours at Target!)
• 1 T dried red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 T reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 T brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 1/2 T toasted sesame seeds
• 1 T canola or vegetable oil

Steps:

1. Mix together the chili paste, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a bowl.
2. Put the pork into the bowl of sauce and turn pork until it is well coated with sauce.
3. Heat the canola or vegetable oil over medium high heat and cook pork, about 6 minutes.

Close-up of the Spicy Korean Pork.

 

For the bibimbap:
Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked plain white rice, cooled (use leftovers; they work best)
• 1 T sesame oil

Steps:

1. In a medium sized skillet or pan, heat sesame oil over medium heat.
2. Put cooked rice into skillet so that the rice is in a uniform layer; pat down firmly.
3. Cook rice 10-15 minutes, rotating pan every so often, until the bottom of the rice (the side that's making contact with the pan) is golden brown and crunchy.

See how the bibimbap is all golden brown and crispy? That's perfection!

Bibimbap Add-ins:

• Shredded carrots
• Bean sprouts
• Fried egg
• Others...be creative!

 This is such a great dish. Not only does it taste amazing, but you also get the added benefit of the fun of each person picking out the add-ins he or she wants on their dish. It's a lot of fun for a family meal, and it's very affordable, easy, and tasty to boot! Enjoy!

As a side note, every time I read or say the word "bibimbap," I always think of the little boy, Russel, from Disney's "Up" where he's talking about the GPS his dad gave him: