Bibimbap means, quite simply, mixed rice: a bowl of warm rice topped with namul, small portions of seasoned vegetables, along with a little beef, a fried egg and a spoonful of gochujang, the fermented red chili paste of Korea. It arrives looking like a color wheel and is then, with great enthusiasm, stirred into a glorious mess. Its origins are uncertain, though one theory traces it to the custom of mixing together the foods offered at ancestral rites. The most celebrated version comes from Jeonju, in North Jeolla, the province just north of South Jeolla, where the Korean Grand Prix was held.

Every vegetable is cooked and seasoned separately, which sounds laborious until you realize each takes about three minutes and uses the same pan. The result is a balanced meal in one bowl: crunchy, soft, sweet, savory and spicy at once. It suits a race day perfectly, because everything can be prepared ahead and each person builds their own bowl.

The rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups (400 g) short grain white rice
• 2 1/4 cups (530 ml) water

Method

1. Rinse the rice in the sieve under cold water, rubbing it gently with your fingers, until the water runs nearly clear, about 1 minute. Drain well.
2. Put the rice and water in the saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, then cover tightly, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. Or use a rice cooker.

Gochujang sauce

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons gochujang
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Stir everything together in a small bowl until smooth.

The vegetables (namul)

Ingredients

• 10 ounces (280 g) fresh spinach
• 8 ounces (225 g) soybean or mung bean sprouts
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 medium zucchini
• 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Bring the large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the sprouts, cover and cook 4 minutes for soybean sprouts or 1 minute for mung bean sprouts. Lift out with a sieve, rinse under cold water and squeeze gently. Toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a little garlic.
2. In the same boiling water, cook the spinach for 30 seconds. Drain, rinse in cold water and squeeze out as much water as you can. Cut the ball of spinach in half, then toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, a little garlic and half the sesame seeds.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon neutral oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the carrot and a pinch of salt and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
4. Add another teaspoon of oil and the zucchini with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir for 2 minutes. Set aside.
5. Add the last teaspoon of oil and the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, then add the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and a little garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Set aside.

The beef

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (225 g) ground beef or thinly sliced rib eye
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 pinch black pepper

Method

1. Mix the beef with the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil and pepper. Cook in the same skillet over medium high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula.

Eggs and assembly

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Method

1. Wipe the skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and fry the eggs for 2 to 3 minutes, sunny side up.
2. Divide the hot rice among the bowls. Arrange the spinach, sprouts, carrot, zucchini, mushrooms and beef in neat piles around the top, like the segments of a clock face. Set an egg in the middle, drizzle with a little sesame oil, scatter the remaining sesame seeds and add a spoon of gochujang sauce.

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