Bibimbap

So very messy, but so very yummy.

This weekend Canberra has been humid and rainy, the kind of weather that makes me crave pho and bibimbap. I got my fix of pho at lunch today with a trip to Dickson (Canberra's equivalent to China Town), but I was still craving bibimbap, so I decided to try my hand at it.

I didn't really follow a recipe, I just read a bunch of different ones online for an idea of what it was, and only used sauces and spices that were already in my fridge. I am also not Korean. So this version of bibimbap is slightly bastardised, but delicious nonetheless.

Ingredients

• ~500 g beef, sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
• handful of dried, sliced shitake mushrooms
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch bok choy, chopped
• garlic, finely chopped (I used 3 large, local organic cloves I bought from a friend - so good)
• light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• sambal oelek, to serve
• rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Put mushrooms in a bowl of warm water and soak for 30 minutes.
2. Put beef in marinade of garlic, soy sauce (I used about about 3 tablespoons worth, but I just splashed it on), and honey.
3. Prepare vegetables.
4. Stir fry onion until clear, then add all other vegetables and stir fry until cucumber starts to become translucent, bok choy is wilted and carrot is caramelising. Put to the side. (In proper bibimbap, each veggie is stir-fried separately, but I am lazy)
5. Fry up mushrooms for about 5 minutes. (If you're lazy or short on time you can always chuck it in with the rest of the veggies if you want)
6. Fry beef until cooked. I threw it in with the marinade and used a slotted spoon at the end to separate it from any juices.
7. Assemble beef, mushrooms and veggies on rice, and add sambal oelek to taste.

*Note: The jury is still out on whether soy is good or bad for endometriosis. Soy is a phytoestrogen, meaning that it is structurally similar similar to oestrogen, but derived from plants. Scientists still aren't sure whether phytoestrogens raise oestrogen levels or lower/normalise oestrogen levels in women of reproductive age. As endometriosis is an oestrogen-fed disease, this could have dramatic effects on the disease, either feeding it and making it worse, or blocking the uptake of oestrogen and suppressing endometriosis. More research needs to be done to fully understand the effects of phytoestrogens on endometriosis. For a full discussion on phytoestrogens and endometriosis, check out Endometriosis: A Key to Healing Through Nutrition.

Personally, I find that soy does not affect me. I still restrict my intake of soy to small amounts just in case it does have a bad effect, but I'm not a nazi about it. I love the taste of soy, and I figure that if I don't notice the difference, and there is no proven science as yet, then I can just have a little and enjoy living my life. It's really up to you and your body as to whether you restrict soy or not.