Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl)

Rice:

1. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package.
2. Remember that short grain rice will be best for this dish.
3. You don't have to rely on the amount listed in the recipe. Typically, a serving is 70 g (2.5 oz.) to 120 g (4.5 oz.) of rice.

Sauce:

1. To prepare the sauce, simply mix all the ingredients together.
2. You can use lemon juice instead of rice vinegar, and honey instead of sugar.
3. To enrich the flavor, you can add a teaspoon of finely chopped garlic and Korean plum (maeshil cheong) extract.

Vegetables:

1. Choose the combination of vegetables you will use.
2. Wash the selected ingredients and cut them into strips or sticks. You don't need to chop the sprouts.
3. Each vegetable should be seasoned and cooked separately to preserve texture and flavor. Fry all vegetables in a very hot pan. They should cook briefly and retain their crunchiness.
4. To preserve color, start with light colored vegetables such as sprouts or zucchini and gradually move to darker ones such as mushrooms.
5. Blanch the sprouts in boiling water for 2 minutes. Then drain and season with a teaspoon of soy sauce, a little sesame oil and a pinch of sesame seeds.
6. For vegetables such as cucumbers, zucchini or eggplant, sprinkle them with salt and let them rest for 10 minutes. Then pour off the water that has appeared and fry the vegetables in a little sesame oil with a teaspoon of chopped garlic.
7. Fry the spinach with a teaspoon of chopped garlic, a teaspoon of sesame oil and a pinch of salt until slightly wilted. Finally, sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds.
8. It is best to chop the carrots into thin sticks and fry them in a little sesame oil with a pinch of salt. You can also add a tablespoon of water and cover the pan. This will shorten the frying time.
9. The mushrooms are best cut into strips and also fried in sesame oil. At the end, season to taste with soy sauce or salt.

Meat/Tofu and eggs:

1. You can use any type of ground meat. Beef is used most often.
2. When making a vegetarian version, pay attention to the type of tofu. It should be firm so that it doesn't melt during frying.
3. Season the ground meat or shredded tofu with a tablespoon of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of chopped garlic.
4. You can leave it to marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
5. Fry in a heated skillet or wok for about 3 to 5 minutes. Use sesame oil (1-2 tablespoons).
6. Set the fried meat or tofu aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
7. Finally, fry the eggs in a hot skillet with a little oil to a consistency that suits you.

Serving:

1. Once all the ingredients are prepared, spoon the desired amount of rice into the bowls.
2. Arrange the vegetables on top in alternating colors for a nice look.
3. Place a fried egg in the center.
4. Top the whole thing with the prepared sauce.
5. Before eating, stir the whole thing.