WATCH: How to make Korea's iconic bibimbap dish at home

Welcome to Taste of Global, an eight-week culinary journey that brings global cuisine to the Jacaranda FM studio and your airwaves – brought to you by FNB Private.

Every week from February 24, Monday to Thursday, 'Breakfast with Martin Bester' will explore the flavours, traditions, and stories behind the most iconic dishes from eight featured countries.

Taste of Global: Experience tastes from around the world

We kicked off our journey by delving into South Korea and its iconic dish: bibimbap.

Chef Hyang-soon Bae from the Korean Cultural Centre in Brooklyn, Pretoria, demonstrated the art of making this delicious dish.

Watch here:

Bae told 'Breakfast with Martin Bester' that this South Korean staple is often referred to as "flower rice" because of the beautiful way in which it is presented on a plate.

According to the chef, bibimbap originated when men worked in the fields, and housewives brought them food. Transporting all the different elements was difficult, so the wives combined everything into one meal on a single plate.

READ: Experience Korea in Pretoria at the Korean Cultural Centre

The term bibim means "mixing", and bap refers to cooked rice.

Watch the team's live taste test of bibimbap here:

Here's how to make bibimbap:

Ingredients:

• 50g white radish, julienned (0.3 x 0.3 x 5 cm)

• 1 tbsp salt

• 20g sugar

• 1 tsp vinegar

• 1/2 tsp chilli powder

• 50g white bean sprouts

• 1/2 tbsp garlic

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 50g spinach, blanched

• 50g zucchini, julienned (0.3 x 0.3 x 5 cm)

• 50g carrot, julienned (0.3 x 0.3 x 5 cm)

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 stalk spring onion

• Black pepper, to season

• 2 or 3 shiitake mushrooms, julienne

• 20g beef for bibim sauce (Yak Gochujang), chopped

• 30g beef, julienned

• 40g gochujang (red chilli paste sauce)

READ: The art of making kimchi: A Korean cultural tradition

Method:

1. Put the radish in a bowl and add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vinegar, and 1/2 tsp chilli powder. Mix well.

2. Boil the bean sprouts for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp salt, a pinch of garlic, and a few drops of sesame oil. Mix well.

3. Blanch the spinach and place it in a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp salt, a pinch of garlic, and 2 or 3 drops of sesame oil. Mix well.

4. Add a pinch of salt to the zucchini and carrot and stir-fry them separately.

5. In a bowl, mix 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp chopped spring onion, 1/4 tsp sesame oil, and black pepper.

6. Marinate the shiitake mushrooms and beef in the sauce mixture.

7. Stir-fry the marinated beef in a pan and cook the shiitake mushrooms separately.

Bibim sauce (Yak Gochujang):

1. Add 3 tbsp water and 1/2 tbsp sugar to the gochujang and mix well.

2. Stir-fry the chopped, marinated beef on low heat.

3. Add the gochujang mixture and stir well until it reduces to its original consistency.

To serve:

• Fry a sunny-side-up egg.

• Serve cooked rice in a bowl and top with the vegetables and meat.

• Add the fried egg on top and drizzle with gochujang sauce.

Tune in to the 'Breakfast with Martin Bester', weekdays from 06:00 – 09:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.

Listen to Jacaranda FM: 

• 94.2
• Jacaranda FM App
• http://jacarandafm.com
• DStv 858/ OpenView 602

Follow us on social media:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• TikTok

Image: Jacaranda FM