Recipe: Brilliant Korean Bibimbap in a Mug + Sesame Crunchies

Brilliant Korean Bibimbap in a Mug + Sesame Crunchies

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• chop :

  to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

• crack :

  to break open or apart a food to get what's inside, like an egg or a coconut.

• knife skills :

  Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls). 

• microwave :

  to heat or cook food or liquid quickly in a microwave oven, which uses high-frequency electromagnetic waves to generate heat in the food's water molecules.

• mince :

  to chop into teeny tiny pieces.

• slice :

  to cut into thin pieces using a sawing motion with your knife.

History of Bibimbap!

• Bibimbap is pronounced "BEE-bim-bap" and translates to "mixed rice."
• There are a variety of legends regarding the origins of this Korean dish. One is that farmers, who were poor and worked very hard, would eat rice with different vegetables that could quickly be mixed in a large bowl for communal feeding. Another story says that after ancestor ceremonies, which required the preparation of fruits, vegetables, rice cakes, fish, and other foods to express their "thanks" to their ancestors, the people would combine leftovers from that labor-intensive meal to create simple meals. Finally, there is the theory that there was no time for food preparation during uprisings and battles, so they mixed rice with whatever foods were handy to create a meal.  
• Koreans still eat bibimbap as part of the "jesa" ceremony. Families prepare a spread of dishes to offer to their ancestors and then sit down to share the meal. Afterward, there are leftover small dishes, and bibimbap becomes like a post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich, a way to use leftovers and extend the celebration.  
• The dish contains rice at the bottom of a bowl, and you can top it with "namul," seasoned and sautéed vegetables, or "kimchi," fermented vegetables. Then a sweet-spicy red pepper paste, soy sauce, or a fermented soybean paste comes next. Finally, add a fried egg and strips of dried seaweed (nori). The vegetables change according to the season and may include radish, cucumber, bean sprouts, seasonal greens, and mushrooms.
• You can also make bibimbap with different proteins depending on where the dish is eaten within the country. For example, seafood is a common addition in coastal areas.
• Bibimbap ingredients are rich in Korean symbolism, based on Chinese philosophy. For black or dark colors representing the kidneys, use shiitake mushrooms, bracken ferns, nori seaweed, or soy sauce. For red or orange representing the heart, use chili, carrots, jujube dates, or gochujang red pepper paste. Green stands for the liver, and you would use cucumber and spinach. For white, symbolic of the lungs, use bean sprouts, radish, and rice. And finally, yellow represents the stomach, and you can use foods like potato or egg.

Let's Learn About South Korea!

• South Korea is officially named the Republic of Korea. It is a separate country from North Korea. This is because North and South Korea were divided into two countries during the Korean War in the 1950s. 
• South Korea has a day dedicated to celebrating their children: May 5th. A children's book author started it because he wanted Korean children to have a sense of independence and national pride. It was designated a national holiday in 1975. On this day, cities and towns celebrate with parades, and children receive free admission to many movies, zoos, and theme parks. 
• Literacy is high—98 percent of Korean adults can read! The alphabet of the Korean language is called Hangul. King Sejong the Great created it in 1443 to increase literacy. Korea's previous alphabet was Hanja or Han Chinese Characters. Today, Hangul is considered one of the most efficient alphabets in the world.  
• Seoul, the capital city, has a population of about 10 million, densely packed into a small area. Many people live in high-rise apartments.
• Koreans have two New Year's Days. In addition to January 1st, Koreans also celebrate the Lunar New Year in February.
• The Korean martial art taekwondo is the national sport. Unsurprisingly, Koreans have won the most Olympic gold medals in taekwondo.
• Korean babies are considered one year old on the day they are born, then add another year on New Year's Day. Historically, Koreans have not celebrated their birthdays on the day they were born; instead, they celebrate turning one year older collectively on New Year's Day. 
• Parents hold a party on a baby's first birthday and place several objects on a table to let the child pick their favorite. Whatever the child chooses is believed to predict their future or a dominant personality trait. For example, if the child picks up a book, they are destined to be smart; if the child picks up money, they will be wealthy; if the child picks up food, they will not be hungry; and if the child picks up the thread, they will live a long life.
• Koreans are very in tune with their bodies, eat the right amount of food, and focus on nutrition. The temperature of their food matters to them. Koreans follow Eastern Asian medicine principles: on the hottest days of the summer, it's traditional to eat boiling chicken ginseng soup! The rationale behind it? There shouldn't be a sharp contrast between a person's body temperature and one's food—or else, your stomach will get upset.
• Kimchi, the nation's favorite dish eaten at almost every meal, is made by fermenting vegetables, fruit, and even oysters. It is said to help prevent the flu. Kimchi becomes more sour and potent the longer it sits. There are 250 different kinds of kimchi! 
• During autumn, Korean families come together to make enough kimchi to last several months, sharing with neighbors, friends, and family. This holiday is called Kimjang. 
• Korean adults eat seaweed soup on their birthdays for good luck, long life, and to honor their mothers. Women who have just given birth also have the soup as it is rich in minerals and nutrients. 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in South Korea?

• South Koreans treasure children, and family is very important. They teach kids to respect parents and elders. It is a custom for kids and adults to take their shoes off when they enter the home.
• Many parents have high expectations for their kids' education. Middle and high school kids have long days at school that last from 8 am until 5 pm, and then they may have extra school, tutoring, and homework until 10 pm or later.
• Computer games are extremely popular with South Korean kids. However, they may also play some traditional games. One game is "gonggi" (KON-chee). It is similar to "jacks" but played with small genuine or plastic stones. One of the tricks is to land the stone on the back of your hand after picking it up and throwing it in the air. Another game is "jegichagi," played alone or with other players by kicking a paper "jegi" (like a badminton shuttlecock) in the air and trying to keep it aloft.
• Some of the sports kids participate in are football (soccer), baseball, golf, skiing, ice skating, and taekwondo, a martial art. In addition, they like music, especially K-pop music (Korean pop).
• Children learn "nunchi" (noon-chee) by three years old. The literal translation is "eye-measure" and could also be called emotional intelligence. Kids learn to be aware of their environment, observe people and situations, quickly discern another person's mood, read a situation correctly, and respond accordingly. Nunchi helps a person navigate their world in a caring and intelligent way throughout their life. 
• Kids have rice with just about every meal. They will eat it with eggs, fish, or another protein for breakfast. They may have "ramyeon," which is like "ramen," a Japanese noodle soup, or more rice and protein for lunch. Desserts made with sweet rice or red beans are popular. For example, kids may have "bingsu," shaved ice often topped with sweet red beans and sweetened condensed milk, or "bungeo-ppang," a fish-shaped pastry filled with sweetened red bean paste, pastry cream, or chocolate and cooked like a waffle.