Enjoy The Silence
Monday, March 16, 2009 at 12:00PM There is one thing more fatal than a siren's song- a siren's silence. The latter is something that is impossible to escape. Susie's silence has been plaguing me for a long time now. I have to see her again. Just a block south, I can make it for lunch.
After a short walk I arrive at her door. The place is empty- surprising for the time of day. I sit down and remove my hat. Have to be on my best behavior for her. She's busy in the back, but sees me. Slowly walks over with a swagger that's accumulated over the years. Still silent.
I ask for the usual, "Please." Susie slowly hustles back to work. After a few minutes, everything is ready. She presents me her hard work and the time between it leaving her hands and entering my possession seems longer, and more tormenting, than the first time car keys were handed to me.
I'm done waiting. Chopsticks are split, it's time to eat. I don't lift a grain of rice an inch before the silence is finally broken by her song, "Mix it up. More. Mix it up like this. Mix it up!" Her hands motion in harmony- perhaps she conducts as well.
But I don't always like mixing up my bi bim bop. I don't care if that's how it's supposed to be eaten. Isn't going to stop my 80+ year old Korean 'grandmother' from dishing out disciplinary action. I have to take it though- she runs the place. Every day Susie waits, buses, and cooks to order every meal by herself.
Like a good boy I do as told. I do this, because in the depths of my mind defiance is brewing. I'm going to take the beloved 'mixed rice' dish and eat it my way. Time to unmix things up.
Step one is to raid the grocery store on the walk back north. Going to need a big basket to get all the required produce- cucumbers, various squash, carrots, spinach, oyster mushrooms, and mung bean sprouts. Then I pick up a pound of ribeye, sliced thinly, courtesy of the butcher, and [brown] rice. Should have all the rest in the pantry.
;)
Cucumber salad
First thing to do is get the ribeye marinating for the bulgogi. I grab a sealable plastic bag add a mixture of soy sauce, honey, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, half an onion, pinch of chili flakes and sprinkle of sesame oil. Ribeye goes in the bag and into the fridge, ideally for 24 hours.
Next I work on the second most time consuming participant, the cucumber salad. One of my favorite sides, whether it be garnished with sour cream and dill, or finished with rice wine vinegar, there can never seem to be enough of it.
After peeling and slicing the cucumber in long, as thin as possible strips, I generously salt them and lay them out on paper towels to sweat. An hour or two passes, and it's time to rinse the salt off, dry the slices, and add flavor.
Next, I put the cucumber in a small bowl, and pour in rice wine vinegar just shy of covering. A farewell kiss of sesame oil and soy sauce follows, and in it goes to fridge solitary.
Time passes and hunger decides to make another raid. I pull the bulgogi out of the fridge and spinach out of the freezer to come to room temperature, and start cooking the rice since it will take about 40 minutes to steam. This is also ample time to properly dice and julienne the produce.
;)
Carrot salad with ginger, garlic, and scallion
Once the mise is done I start sauteeing in separate pans the squash, spinach, carrots, and mushrooms. All get basic seasoning with oil. The carrots are lucky enough to be joined by garlic, ginger, and scallion. Spinach and mushrooms will be finished with sesame oil at the end, and all will be garnished with sesame seeds.
While the produce browns, I fire the broiler to cook the bulgogi and onions. Shouldn't take too long since the meat isn't very thick.
At this point everything is coming along nicely, except that I haven't done anything with the mung bean sprouts. Fortunately, I don't really care about them at all. They don't add anything to the dish (in my opinion) and if anything, take some away. Since the whole point of this meal is to prepare things to my liking, I'm cutting the slow kid from the team.
Thankfully, everything finishes cooking at the same time. I reach for a bowl, then stop. I don't want to risk these components getting in each other's business. There will be no mingling at this party. So I reach for a ramekin and a large platter. Line the ramekin with plastic wrap, spoon the freshly steamed brown rice in, press, flip, and pull away. Now there is a perfectly shaped rice portion on the plate- which I'm going to cover up- but I'll still know it's there.
Now I go around the clock plating the zucchini and yellow squash, cucumber salad, carrot salad, spinach, and sauteed oyster mushroom. I sit the bulgogi on his throne and give a final garnish of sesame seeds to the loyal subjects. Then like at any good meal, silence falls.
;)
Deconstructed, unmixed, bi bim bop
Best Of, Bi Bim Bop, Bulgogi, Cucumber Salad, Depeche Mode in Food, Recipe 
Reader Comments (8)
Your plating is gorgeous as usual. I've never eaten anything like this before but perhaps it's high time I did!
It's beyond deconstructed! I'd call it nouveau! Just don't tell your girlfriend Susie! GREG
I can't even pronounce half this stuff but it looks gorgeous. I'm counting the months until you quit writing SQL queries and open up a restaurant (or at least do some sort of official culinary something). On my fingers.
you know we still LOVE this, right? it's BIBIMBAHP! (we're slightly addicted, tho we use crumbled tofu in place of the rice - yannow, lowcarb n all)
Joie I think you could make a very nutritious meal out of this- especially with brown rice. The meat is well portioned and not essential to the dish at all. Other proteins are often substituted, including tofu (cough Aashay cough), and an egg usually sweetens the deal. You'll be sure to get all your daily veggies in with this one. Fun for kids too since [traditionally] they get to mix everything up in a bowl.
French fusion Greg? I'm on it!
Much love Sarah- I'm going to work harder on my pictures =P
Mike,
Thanks, as always, for reading. I love that you feel slightly out of your element with all of the African dishes. (More to come the next two Sundays) The older one gets, the less one seems to know. Glad to help bring you down to size a little. :)
This is beautiful in visual and idea. You are a wonderful chef, I just want to know when I should be over for dinner...I am inviting myself over to a lot of people, but no return calls :)
Micheal, I wish you would give yourself more credit. I do this on a regular basis, otherwise I would be eating out a lot, or cereal like last night. Your cooking sounds wonderful, better than some others out there that think they are so great...and copy others :) I would certainly want to visit David Burkes Primehouse, have you been there? I worked with him, and they say his is the best???