Caramelized Asian Pear Bibimbap
This nontraditional approach to Bibimbap uses cooked Asian pears for a nice spicy sweet contrast.
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup Lotus Foods Jade Pearl Rice short grain rice works best in this dish.
- 1 1/2 cups water
- pinch of salt
- oil or butter for frying after this is optional, but I highly recommend
Fruit, Vegetables, & Eggs
- 1 small Dikon Radish peeled and cut into 2inch sticks
- 8 oz shiitake mushrooms stems removed
- 1 small eggplant cut into 1inch pieces. Japanese eggplants work best, but any variety will work!
- 1 large carrot thinly sliced into 2inch sticks
- 1 Asian pear cut into 2inch sticks
- brown sugar
- soy sauce or soy sauce substitute
- sesame oil
- 2-3 eggs
- Korean Gochugaru these are Korean red pepper flakes that have a flavor like no other. Highly recommend
- rice wine vinegar
Other Toppings
- Korean Gochujang Sauce This is a must! I used store bought, but feel free to make your own.
- sprouts or micro greens
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- Kimchi
Instructions
The Rice
- Cook rice according to package instructions
- Once rice is finished cooking, keep covered and set aside
While rice cooks, prepare vegetables
- In a small bowl combine dikon radish, tsp of Gochugar, and a splash of rice wine vinegar. Set aside.
- Heat large skillet over medium heat
- You want to work in small batches, cooking all things separately. You'll want a large serving platter or sheet pan ready to transfer cook vegetables to.
- Once pan is hot, add tbs of oil and add in shiitake mushrooms. Lightly season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook for about 5-8 minutes or until they reach desired tenderness. Remove mushrooms from pan onto platter or sheet pan and lightly drizzle with sesame oil! Toss and cover lightly with foil to keep warm
- In the same pan, add in another tbs of oil, and toss in carrots. Drizzle with a little soy sauce and cook 2-4 minutes. Transfer to sheet pan with mushrooms and recover
- Next add 1 more tbs of oil to the pan and toss in eggplant. Drizzle with soy sauce and cook 2-4 minutes. Remove and place them with carrots and mushrooms.
Caramelize The Pears
- In the same pan add in oil, pears, and a tbs of brown sugar. Cook pears until they become soft and well browned, stirring frequently. This should take about 5-10 minutes. Remove for heat and transfer to platter with other vegetables.
Fry the rice
- Wipe or rinse pan clean to remove any sugar left behind from the pears. Heat oil or butter in same pan over medium high heat. Add in rice and stir fry 2-5 minutes, until crispy and browned. Divide rice between serving bowls.
Cook the eggs and serve
- In same pan reduce heat back to medium. Add in a little oil and gently crack eggs into skillet
- Cover with lid and cook 1 minute.
- After 1 minute, remove lid and continue to cook eggs until whites are are cooked through and yolks are still runny. Turn off heat and set eggs aside
- Assemble bowls by topping with mushrooms, carrots, eggplant, pears, and other optional ingredients! Don't forget the gochujang sauce! Start with topping each bowl with a tsp of sauce, serve additional sauce on the side for those that would like more! Mix up your bowl with chopsticks, or a fork to combine all the flavors. Eat and Enjoy!