Bibimbap with Clams - How to make your own Sweet and Spicy Korean Mixing Sauce

I often think that Korean bibimbap is a very clever dish. It's colorful, rich in texture, healthy, and complex in flavor, yet incredibly simple to make. So calling it clever is no exaggeration.

In Korean, "bibim" means "mix" and "bap" means "rice." It's easy to imagine: you simply place various ingredients over white rice and mix them together. These ingredients typically include different vegetables, eggs, meat, and Korean bibimbap sauce, and can be served either cold or hot. For a more refined approach, you can buy a stone pot from a Korean store. Coat the stone pot with a bit of sesame oil and heat it directly over an open flame. Then, place the white rice in the hot stone bowl, creating a crispy layer of rice at the bottom, which adds an extra crunchy texture when mixed.

"bibim" means "mix" and "bap" means "rice".

Yet I don't have time to buy a stone bowl (a cast-iron pan can also achieve a crispy rice effect though), so I just place the white rice in a normal bowl, and the flavour remains just as delightful. This time, I'm using clams instead of meat. The clams are sweet and tasty, and I also save the broth from steaming the clams to make the bibimbap sauce. The fresh seawater flavour in the sauce brings an incredible depth of taste, making it a delightful surprise in this dish.

As for the other vegetables, although there are no strict rules on which ones to use, I intuitively choose a variety of colours—red, yellow, green—to make the dish visually appealing and appetizing. Since Korean bibimbap can be enjoyed hot or cold, this dish is truly a versatile meal perfect for both winter and summer!

Ingredients (serve 2)

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Basic Ingredients

Clams	600g
Cucumber	½ stick
Carrots	½ stick
Fresh Shiitake Mushroom	3 pcs
Bean Sprouts	to taste
Spinach	to taste
Sesame Oil	to taste
Egg	2 pcs
White Rice	2 bowl
Sesame	to taste

Mixing Sauce

Onion (chopped)	2 tbsp
Garlic (chopped)	3 cloves
Korean Chilli Paste	1 tbsp
Sugar	2 tbsp
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp
Sesame Oil	1 tbsp
Mirin	1 tbsp
Clam Juice (after steaming the clams)	50 ml

Steps

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1. Wash and trim the spinach; peel and julienne the carrots; julienne the cucumber; trim and slice the fresh shiitake mushrooms; clean the soybean sprouts; finely chop the onion and garlic.

2. Heat a pot of water and blanch the spinach and soybean sprouts separately, cooking each for 15-20 seconds. Remove them, drain, and set aside.

3. Using the same pot of water, bring it to a boil and steam the clams over the water for 3-4 minutes (or until the clams open). Remove the clam meat and set aside 50 ml of the clam juice from the dish (see small picture).

4.　 Take a frying pan and heat it over medium heat. Add a suitable amount of sesame oil, then separately sauté the mushroom slices and carrot strips until they are slightly softened. Remove from the pan and set aside.

5. Using the same frying pan, cook the eggs until they are half-cooked (I used a small ring mold to make the fried eggs look nicer, but if you don't have one, you can fry them as regular sunny-side-up eggs).

6. Using the same frying pan over medium-low heat, add sesame oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté until fragrant. Then, add the reserved clam juice, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and Korean chili paste. Mix well and simmer until the sauce thickens into a rich sauce for bibimbap.

7. To serve: Place rice on a plate, arrange spinach, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, cucumber, bean sprouts, clam meat, and the fried egg. Finally, add the bibimbap sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Mix well and enjoy!