This is the last recipe of the year 2023. I’ve chosen a Korean recipe to end this year, but for no specific reasons really. Not ending on a bad note, but neither is it a particularly good one. The wars in Gaza and Ukraine are still going on, the Rohingyas are still being displaced and life still goes on.
I had a good week’s rest this end of the year, doing some things at home, but not too much, and getting some good rest before the crazy year ahead starts. I only have one thing I would like to accomplish next year, and that is to get the boy’s room refurbished, as well as the rest of the house reworked, where necessary. This is going to take a good amount of effort and time, but I’m hoping to get it done and over with. If it’s something that has to be done, it has to be done. The house is almost twenty years old anyway, so it’s due for such works too. I’m just keeping my fingers and toes crossed that there wouldn’t be any renovation woes and nightmares and my designer and contractors can all be well-trusted to do a good job for a simple task.
This dish of Korean kimchi and beansprout rice bowl summarises my wish for next year, which is to have a tasteful yet simple change at home that will help to motivate and push me along throughout the entire year; to try out something different, but which isn’t too much for all of us to take and digest.
Fingers and toes crossed for now. I wish everyone a blissful 2024 ahead!
Ingredients:
- Rice: 1.5 cup
- Water: 1.5 cup
- Beansprout: 450g
- Pork loin: 100g, sliced thinly
- Garlic: 1 tsp + 1 tsp minced
- Light soy sauce: 2 tsp + 4 tbsp
- Mirin: 1 tsp
- Sesame oil: 1 tsp + 2 tsp
- Oil: 1 tbsp
- Kimchi: 1 cup, with 2 tbsp juice
- Sesame seed: 1 tsp
- Sugar: 1 tsp
- Scallion: 1 stalk, finely chopped
Method:
- Soak rice & beansprouts with water.
- Marinate pork loin with 1 tsp garlic, 2 tsp light soy sauce, mirin & 1 tsp sesame oil. Set aside.
- Spread beansprouts over rice in a rice cooker Set aside.
- Heat oil in wok. Stir-fry kimchi & juice for 1min.
- Stir in marinated pork loin. Fry for 1min.
- Spread kimchi mixture over beansprouts in rice cooker. Set rice cooker to cook.
- Separately combine 4 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, sesame seeds, 1 tsp garlic, sugar & scallions. Stir to mix.
- Stir sauce into cooked rice to mix before serving.
Disclaimers:
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My boy doesn’t like eating soy bean sprouts as he hates the big heads of these sprouts. It’s why I’m using the normal, smaller, beansprouts but you can try the soybean sprouts for a more authentic taste of this classic Korean dish. I can imagine how much nicer it would taste in my mind!
-
The basic soybean sprout dish uses just the sprouts to cook the rice with (i.e. no kimchi and pork loin stir-fry mix). That classic version would be easy to prepare anytime, any day. An alternative way is to cook the rice with the soybean sprouts first, and concurrently prepare the kimchi and pork stir-fry, and then add everything in only after the rice is cooked. I’m sure I will like this version as well as the original one!
Serving:
4 persons
