Bibimbap

When I lived in Senegal, the most common rice dish was cooked so that the rice crisped and hardened at the bottom of the pot. Those chewy bits were the best and you were given a little as an added bonus, especially if you're a guest at someone's house. Well, Bibimbap isn't a West African dish, it's Korean. But it known for its brown, chewy, crispy cooked rice that forms a layer on the bottom of the pan. I love it. When you order it in a Korean restaurant, it's served in a red hot pot at the table. Need an excuse to eat veggies? You can substitute almost any veggies - bean sprouts, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. Here it is...

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 lb thinly sliced pork tenderloin or beef - sliced as thinly as possible (note, this is a great use of leftover roast pork or beef that's been in the freezer - half frozen meat is a LOT easier to thinly slice)
2 green onions, chopped into thirds and thinly sliced, vertically
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 carrot sliced into matchsticks
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves chopped/shredded
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups cooked sushi rice (substitute jasmine rice if needed)

1. Mix 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 2 tbsp garlic, the ginger, and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl. Add the meat and mix well. Marinate for about 1/2 hour (or while you're preparing everything else).

2. In  a small bowl, combine the vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, and green onions. Add salt and pepper, mix and set aside.

3. Heat a large cast iron pan on medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil and when hot, add all of the rice and press down firmly with a spatula. Turn heat to medium and let cook for 15 minutes, until it gets brown and crispy on the bottom.

4. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp sesame oil. Add the carrots and cook until slightly softened. Remove from pan and set aside, covered to stay warm.

5. In same pan, add 1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp garlic, and the kale. Saute until just soft. Remove from pan and set aside with the carrots.

6. In same pan, add the meat and meat and cook until heated through. Remove from pan and set aside with the carrots.

7. Finally, in same pan, fry the two eggs, keeping the yolks runny.

8. While the eggs cook, spoon the rice into bowls. Add some carrots, kale, green onions, and meat. Put the fried eggs on top.

Korean Style Pork Tenderloin

I made this Bobby Flay adaptation last week and we loved it. The pork was very juicy and extremely flavorful. To all my friends who like to cook but feel like it takes too long to make something good - this requires minimal effort. It's a good excuse to make sure you have dark sesame oil in your pantry because it's one of the best flavors on earth! It's also a good reason to buy some chili garlic sauce. This is a staple condiment in West Africa and I used to pile it onto my rice and fish. It's a big one in Asia as well. I was probably burning holes in my stomach rather than getting parasites but whatever the problem - it was worth it because this stuff is amazing. I put it on just about everything. One other tip - buy the jarred minced ginger. It keeps forever and is so much easier than dealing with the root.

1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin

Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp dark/toasted sesame oil (must be dark!)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp canola/veg oil

Mix the marinade and pour into large ziplock with the pork. Refrigerate and marinate for up to 2 hrs but no more! If you don't have time, even 15-20 will do.

The pork goes great with Jasmine rice. I like to put some chopped green onion in with the rice while it cooks. I also served this with broccolini. Sautee it in a little bit of oil, 1 tbsp of minced ginger and a little garlic if you like. Cook covered for about 5-7 min.

Grill the pork on med-high for about 8 min each side. Discard the marinade.
When finished, let rest while you make the sauce:
2 tbsp hot chili sauce (I like the red chili/garlic combo - found in the Asian foods section)
4 tsp honey

Cut the tenderloin into medallions and drizzle with the chili-honey sauce...good on the rice too!