Bibimbap

Step 1

Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until the water is almost clear. Cook it with a little less water than the pack suggests, about 1:1 by volume, covered, for 12–15 minutes on low heat, then rest it covered for 10 minutes. The grains should be tender, glossy and slightly sticky.

Step 2

Cut the beef into thin strips about 4 cm long. Crush two cloves of garlic and mix them with the soy sauce, one teaspoon of the sugar and one tablespoon of the sesame oil. Toss the beef in this marinade and leave it 20 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

Step 3

Cut the carrot and the courgette into matchsticks about 5 cm long. Slice the shiitake caps thinly. Pick over the bean sprouts and rinse them.

Step 4

Mix the sauce: the gochujang, the remaining teaspoon of sugar, the rice vinegar and one tablespoon of sesame oil, with a spoonful of water to loosen it to a thick, spoonable paste. Set it aside.

Step 5

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds, lift it out into cold water, then squeeze it firmly with your hands until no more water comes out. Cut it into short lengths and toss it with one crushed garlic clove, a pinch of salt and half a tablespoon of sesame oil.

Step 6

Cook the bean sprouts in the same water, covered, for 3–4 minutes, until the raw smell is gone but they still crunch. Drain, cool under cold water, drain again, and season with one crushed garlic clove, a pinch of salt and the remaining half tablespoon of sesame oil.

Step 7

Heat a tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the carrot with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes until just tender but still bright, and move it to a plate. Repeat with the courgette for 1–2 minutes, then with the shiitake for 3 minutes until they have given up their water and begin to colour, using a little oil for each and salting lightly. Keep each vegetable separate on the plate.

Step 8

Cook the beef in the same hot pan, in a single layer and without crowding, for 2–3 minutes, until browned at the edges and no pink remains in the centre of any strip. Cook it in two batches if the pan is small.

Step 9

Sprinkle the sesame seeds into a dry small pan and toast them over medium heat for about a minute, shaking, until they turn light gold and smell nutty.

Step 10

Fry the eggs last, in the remaining oil over medium heat, sunny side up, until the whites are fully set and the edges lacy and the yolk is still soft, about 2 minutes. Season with a little salt.

Step 11

Divide the warm rice between four bowls. Arrange the vegetables and the beef in separate sections on top, place an egg in the middle of each bowl, and finish with the toasted sesame seeds and a spoonful of the gochujang sauce.