Saturday, June 30, 2012

Date Night : Bibimbap with Asian Marinated Flank Steak, Kimchi Fried Rice, Sautéed Vegetables, & Sweet Gochujang Sauce

Wow, I'm just now realizing that I haven't posted a date night recipe in a while. That's sad. But hey, I'm posting one now, that counts for something. Do y'all love the whole Asian taco craze right now? We sure do. One of our favorite places to go that features this fusion is Hankook Taqueria in Atlanta. If y'all are ever in Atlanta for the weekend, I seriously recommend that you go there. Alton Brown actually featured it on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network. The tacos are great, but I personally prefer their Bulgogi nachos, sesame french fries, and Bibimbap. And for a while now, I've been itchin' to recreate one of their dishes at home. Well, we finally got inspired to make Bibimbap, which is pretty much a bowl of rice, vegetables, some kind of meat, and an egg. It really is up to you on how you make it, and that's why I like it. The first thing that I knew I wanted to make was Asian Marinated Flank Steak because that's just the perfect component. We like our steak seared to medium or medium-rare, but you can cook yours anyway you like. At the bottom of the bowl, we scooped a heaping amount of bacon-kimchi fried rice to serve as the base. This rice is super delish people. So, don't leave it out. Now, the vegetables, that's solely up to you. We used carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, and spinach. But, other popular choices are squash, bean sprouts, or onions. Just pick your favorites and cook 'em up! We topped our Bibimbap with a fried egg and a drizzle of sweet Gochujang sauce. These are important components, so don't leave them out. And if you don't know what Gochujang is, it's a Korean condiment that is similar to Ketchup, but somewhat spicy like Sriracha. I know this may seem like a crazy dish, but it all totally works. It's like a really fancy fried rice, yummmm!! Enjoy :)
Bibimbap with Asian Marinated Flank Steak 
Don't Forget the Fried Egg + Sweet Gochujang Sauce!
For the Asian Marinated Flank Steak:
½C Soy Sauce
½C Cooking Sherry
4T Honey
2T Sesame Oil
2T Fresh Ginger, Minced
3 Cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced
½t Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 Whole Flank Steak
Hoisin Sauce, For Glazing

For the Kimchi Fried Rice:
1t Sesame Oil
1T Vegetable Oil
1T Chili-Garlic Sriracha
3 Slices of Thick Cut Bacon, Cut into Small Pieces & Fried until Crispy
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
3 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced
2T Soy Sauce
¾C Kimchi, Chopped
3C Leftover White Rice

For the Sweet Gochujang Sauce:
1T Gochujang & Rice Wine Vinegar
1T Honey
1t Soy Sauce, Brown Sugar, Sesame Oil
1t Toasted Sesame Seeds

For the Bibimbap:
Prepared Kimchi Fried Rice
Asian Marinated Flank Steak, Thinly Sliced
Sautéed Carrots, Zucchini, Fried Spinach Bean Sprouts, & Mushrooms
Fried Eggs
Fresh Minced Chives or Green Onions, For Garnishing
Prepared Sweet Gochujang Sauce, For Drizzling

Directions:
1. To Marinate the Asian Flank Steak: Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until incorporated. Remove the flank steak from the package and rinse it off. Place the meat into a plastic big and pour the marinade over the meat. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight preferably. Remove the steak from the marinade and place on a plate, and let it come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
2. To Cook the Asian Flank Steak: Heat a grill pan on high heat. When the pan is extremely hot, place the steak on a slight angle. Cook without touching for about 2 minutes. Rotate the meat about 45 degrees, keeping it on the same side, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Flip the meat over and cook it using the same method used previously, and for a total cook time of 5-8 minutes for medium-rare. Glaze the meat with the hoisin sauce while the meat is cooking. Remove the meat to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Once it has rested, thinly slice the meat against the grain. Keep it warm until ready to serve.
3. To Make the Kimchi Fried Rice: In a medium bowl, combine the rice and chili-garlic sauce. Mix until the rice is evenly covered in the sauce, set aside. In a large fry pan or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and green onions until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and mix everything together well. Use a spatula to flatten the rice against the pan, and keep still for about 3 - 5 minutes to let the rice get crispy. Repeat until the rice is evenly crispy. Next, add the soy sauce and sesame oil, adding more to taste, stir well. Mix in the crumbled bacon and chopped Kimchi. Keep warm until ready to serve.
4. To Make the Gochujang Sauce: Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until smooth and incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. For the Bibimbap: Scoop some of the Kimchi fried rice into a large bowl. Top the rice with all of the sautéed vegetables & sliced flank steak around the bowl, leaving a spot in the middle. Place the crispy soft poached egg in the center. Garnish with a drizzle of the Gochujang sauce on top of all the components.  Serve warm.

4 comments:

  1. I tried this and it was absolutely wonderful!!! Thank you so much for posting this! I love Hankook, but I live in North Carolina, so I can't get there as often as I would like.

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    1. I'm glad it was wonderful! We are absolutely obsessed with Hankook... luckily for us, we visit Atlanta once or twice a month to visit my family & friends, so we go every time we go home. I don't know how you do it! But hey, at least we can attempt to make their food at home, right?!? Or as close to it as possible, haha :) Thanks for commenting!

      XOXO,
      Juliana

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  2. As much as love to cook, I never have ideas for lunch food during the week. I usually make up breakfasts and lunch on Sunday for the week and just eat the same thing everyday, sounds boring I know but it works for me. I read this recepie awhile ago and thought this would be so good for my work week lunches. I'm in the process of marinating the meat right now, and then I will put it all together and have a super tasty and healthy lunch prepared, I'll just cook the egg in the mornings thats not too hard.:) so many thanks. Miss B

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    Replies
    1. I love Bibimbap, and honestly don't get how it isn't more popular. I mean, the combinations are endless. And super quick if you have everything prepped before hand!

      XOXO,
      Juliana

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