 Once I decided to build a sauce with the gochujang paste and peanut butter (!) the rest of the ingredients just tumbled into the bowl. data-pin-do=)
Korean-inspired Rice Bowl with Gochujang Dressing by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
June 23, 2022
A rice bowl is a delicious and versatile meal. You start with a ‘flavor idea’ and then build your bowl from there. I bought a jar of Korean gochujang paste and built my rice bowl around wanting to use this ingredient. (Gochujang is a sweet & spicy fermented paste popular in Korean cooking; the sweetness comes from fermented rice and the ‘heat’ from chili peppers.) Once I decided to build a sauce with the gochujang paste and peanut butter (!) the rest of the ingredients just tumbled into the bowl.
- Prep: 50 mins
- Cook: 50 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Ingredients
Ingredients for four (4) rice bowls
1 cup short-grain brown rice
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots, divided
1 teaspoon garlic, mashed to a paste and divided
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, finely chopped, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
Gochujang sauce
2 tablespoons gochujang paste
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter, unsweetened preferably
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (unsweetened)
1 tablespoon honey (note: if using sweetened peanut butter, decrease the amount of honey)
juice of one lime
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots (from above)
½ teaspoon mashed garlic (from above)
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger (from above)
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce (plus more to taste)
Vegetables/garnishes
4 red radishes, washed and dried and sliced as thinly as possible
2 scallions, washed, dried, and finely chopped (both white and green parts)
½ cup prepared kimchi cabbage, divided
something crunchy: ½ bag, divided of Baked Sugar Snap Peas, wasabi flavor (the brand at Foodie’s, in
the Produce Department is Harvest Snaps)
something crunchier: 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
some protein: 12-ounce piece of hanger steak, seasoned with salt and pepper, then grilled or sauteed
Directions
Cook the rice (follow the directions on the package). Drain and set aside, covered to keep warm. Clean the shiitake mushrooms. Remove the stem completely using a small paring knife. Slice the mushrooms across into ½-inch wide pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a small sauté pan. When shimmering, but not smoking, add 2 tablespoons of chopped shallots and all the sliced shiitake mushrooms. Stir and cook on medium-low heat until softened. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon of garlic and the remaining 2 teaspoons of chopped ginger. Cook for another couple of minutes on low heat. Keep stirring to prevent sticking and burning. Taste. Add a pinch of kosher salt to season. Set aside.
Gochujang Dressing: Add the gochujang paste and the peanut butter together in a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Whisk in the rice wine vinegar and fresh-squeezed lime juice until smooth. Mix in the prepared garlic, ginger, and shallots. Whisk in the tablespoon of sesame oil and the teaspoon of soy sauce. Taste the dressing: what does it need? More vinegar or lime juice? More soy sauce? Let your palate be your guide to the finished taste. Sauté or grill the hanger steak or whatever protein you may (or may not be using). Sauteed shrimp would be yummy here, as well as tofu. Let the cooked beef rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing. Build your bowls: Divide the cooked rice among your 4 bowls. Divide the cooked shiitake mushrooms
among the four bowls. Next, add a couple of tablespoons of kimchi to each bowl. Divide the cooked and sliced beef among the 4 bowls. Spoon a tablespoon or two of gochujang sauce liberally over the sliced beef. Sprinkle the scallions and radishes over each bowl. Add a few Baked Sugar Snap Peas to each bowl. And finally, sprinkle each bowl with some chopped peanuts. Serve with extra Gochujang Dressing on the side.
