Bibimbap (Mixed Rice With Vegetables)

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1. 1Step 1: If you have presoaked or fresh fernbrake you can use it straight away, but if you have dried fernbrake you’ll need to get it ready to eat. It’s fast if you have a pressure cooker. Wash ½ ounce of dried gosari and boil it with 5 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water a couple of times. Drain. It should make 4 ounces.
2. 2Step 2: Put the soy bean sprouts in a pot and add 4 cups water and 2 or 3 teaspoons salt. Cover and cook for 20 minutes over medium high heat. Take out the sprouts with tongs and put them into a bowl, leaving about ½ cup of sprouts in the pot with the water you used to boil them. This is the soup to serve with bibimbap later. In a bowl, mix the sprouts by hand with ½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil. Put them on the large platter.
3. 3Step 3: Cut up the blanched spinach a few times and put it in a bowl. Mix by hand with 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Cover and put it next to the soy bean sprouts on the platter.
4. 4Step 4: Cut the carrot into matchsticks, put them in a bowl, and mix with a pinch of salt. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until sweating. Cut the red bell pepper into halves, deseed, and slice into strips. Put them in a bowl. Cut the zucchini into matchsticks and mix with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cut the cucumber into halves lengthwise and slice thinly crosswise. Mix with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
5. 5Step 5: Cut the beef into matchsticks and put them in a bowl. Mix with 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds with a spoon. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
6. 6Step 6: Cut the fernbrake (gosari) a few times into bite size pieces. Set aside. Put the bellflower roots (doraji) in a large bowl. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons salt. Rub for a minute to wilt slightly and release some of the bitterness. Rinse them in cold water a couple of times and drain. If you find some roots are too thick, split them lengthwise. Set aside.
7. 7Step 7: Heat up a pan over medium high heat. Squeeze out excess water from the carrot. Add a few drops of cooking oil to the pan and sauté the carrot for 1 minute. Put it on the platter next to the soy bean sprouts and spinach. Clean the pan with wet paper towel or wash it.
8. 8Step 8: Heat a few drops of cooking oil in the pan and squeeze out the excess water from the cucumber. Sauté with ½ teaspoon minced garlic and a few drops of toasted sesame oil for 30 seconds. Put it on the platter. Clean the pan.
9. 9Step 9: Heat up the pan with a few drops of cooking oil. Add the red bell pepper and sprinkle a pinch of salt over top. Sauté for 30 seconds. Put it on the platter. Clean the pan.
10. 10Step 10: Heat up the pan and squeeze out excess water from the zucchini. Add a few drops of cooking oil and sauté with 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped green onion, a drop of toasted sesame oil for 1 minute until slightly softened. Put it on the platter. Clean the pan.
11. 11Step 11: Heat up the pan with a few drops of cooking oil. Add the bellflower roots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium so as not to brown them. Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and a drop of toasted sesame oil. Stir for another minute until a little softened. Put it on the platter. Clean the pan.
12. 12Step 12: Heat up the pan. Add a few drops of cooking oil. Stir the gosari for 2 minutes until a little softened. Add ½ teaspoon of minced garlic, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons sugar, and keep stirring for another minute. Put it on the platter.
13. 13Step 13: Reheat the soybean sprout soup. Divide the cooked rice into 4 portions. Each portion will be a little more than 1 cup of rice. Put the rice in each of 4 bowls and arrange the vegetables and beef on the rice. Top with the egg yolk and gochujang. If you prefer your eggs and beef cooked, make sunny side up eggs and slightly pan-fry the beef before putting them on the top of rice. Sprinkle the bibimbap with the sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil to taste. Ladle the soup to a small bowl and sprinkle some chopped green onion over top. Serve right away with more hot pepper paste on the side.
14. 14Step 14: Reheat the soybean sprout soup. Put a few drops of toasted sesame oil in the bottom of each of 4 earthenware bowls. They should be big enough to hold 4 to 6 cups each. Divide the rice among the bowls. Arrange the vegetables and beef on the rice. Top each serving with an egg yolk and 1 tablespoon gochujang. If you prefer your eggs and beef cooked, make sunny side up eggs and slightly pan-fry the beef before putting them on the top of rice. Set each pot on a burner. Heat over medium high heat until you hear a ticking, crackling sound coming from the rice. Sprinkle the bibimbap with the sesame seeds, drizzle with sesame oil to taste. Ladle the soup to a small bowl and sprinkle some chopped green onion over top. Serve right away with more hot pepper paste on the side.
15. 15Step 15: Gently but firmly mix everything together in the bowl with your spoon. Try not to crush the more delicate ingredients. Eat with your spoon.