Bibimbap

Bibimbap is a Korean vegetable and rice dish. It is often served with meat and/or egg, but we leave those and add beans for protein instead. Our Korean sister-in-law, Eunhye, hates the idea of bibimbap with beans instead of meat, but we think it’s good. This recipe is a bit different than most of our hiking recipes because we cook and assemble a large bowl of bibimbap, then dehydrate it all at once. Normally we saute/fry the vegetables for bibimbap, but for the trail we switched to boiling because oil makes dishes spoil quickly. Sauteing would be fine if the dish would be consumed within a few weeks or so.

Ingredients (Serves 2-3 People):

• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 red/green pepper, chopped
• 1.5 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup spinach leaves, washed
• (Other vegetables as desired. In photos below we added asparagus.)
• 1 can black or kidney beans, drained
• 1 cup sushi/sticky rice, cooked according to package directions (tip: sushi rice requires less water than long-grain rice, usually about 1.25 cups of water to 1 cup of rice).
• 2-3 Tbsp Gochujang sauce, according to taste (Korean red chili paste, available in a small tub at Asian grocery stores)
• The above dehydrated should be approximately 4.5 cups loosely packed depending on the veggies selected. Rehydrate with 2.5 cups water.

Before the Trail:

Pre-Cooking:

Boil carrots, broccoli, peppers, spinach, and any other vegetables you desire. Add carrots to boiling water first, then broccoli, then peppers. Add any other vegetables you decide to use in sequence according to how long they take to cook (firm vegetables like carrots need more time than soft vegetables like peppers). When boiling is nearly complete, add spinach to water for no more than 30 seconds, just to blanch. Drain. In a large bowl, mix vegetables, cooked rice, and gochujang sauce.

Dehydrating:

Spread bibimbap on dehydrating tray and run at 135°F until everything is crispy (~8+ hours, flipping halfway through).

Assembly:

Put dried mixture in a bag. Vacuum seal bag if not eating soon. The 4.5 cups described here should make 2 large or 3 small portions, so approximately 1.5-2.25 cups of mixture per person.

On the Trail:

Put all ingredients into pot with water and cover. Soak for 5 minutes. Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Keep covered and soak for 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

Tips:

• Normally at homr our bibimbap includes some sesame oil, but we omit all oil for trail cooking to prevent spoilage. Oil can be included if bibimbap will be consumed within a few weeks of cooking, or it can be added during rehydration for more flavor.
• Fried tofu is a great addition to this recipe if oil is not a problem. In that case, simply fry the tofu separately and add at the rice-mixing stage.
• Amount of water required for rehydrating can vary depending on quantity and type of vegetables used. During rehydrating it is better to add too little water than too much.
• This recipe can be cooked in a large batch and divided into trail-sized portions later.
• Do not vacuum seal bags completely to prevent pointy dehydrated veggies from puncturing the bags. They will also fit better in your resupply boxes, backpack, and bear box if they are still somewhat flexible.