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Tofu, Runny Eggs And Kimchi Mix It Up

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By GREG and MICHELLE BAKER

Tribune correspondents

Published: July 2, 2008

We recently received an invitation for dinner from two good friends, Dave and his wife, the lovely Jennifer, aka JB. Dave is known around the Tampa circuit for his former blog EatingTampa.com (now RecreatingTampa.com, where he covers everything from "Greening Tampa" to "Reading Tampa").

On this particular evening, JB nervously declared she would cook, even though she claims it is not her strength and that her food barely passes for palatable.

Her nervousness was understandable. We're not your average dinner guests, and it took a great leap of faith to invite us. Not everyone attended culinary school under master chef Roland Henin (we're talking about Greg), then went on to be a very young and successful executive chef for 15-plus years, had recipes featured in Bon Appetit and Food & Wine magazines, and is now one of Tampa Bay's most sought-after personal chefs. (We're not bragging; we're simply providing you with the full picture as to how much pressure JB felt.)

The reality of the situation is that we're happy with pigs-in-a-blanket - or tofurkey, in JB's case. How could we refuse?

The menu included one of JB's favorite dishes of all time, Bibimbap (pronounced BEE-BEEM-BAP), a Korean rice dish filled with veggies and quickly fried meats (known as Bulgogi), topped with a sunny-side-up egg. Because JB is a vegetarian, the meat would be replaced with tofu and the egg would be fried with yolk still slightly running.

As JB laid down the bowls, she explained that one should stir everything together, allowing the warmth from the veggies to slightly cook the yolk. (Hence the name Bibimbap, or stirred rice.) Pretty little bowls layered with rice, sauteed tofu, blanched veggies, fried egg and kimchi rested on the table.

We mixed. We ate and we fell in love.

Jennifer, the self-proclaimed amateur cook, made a heavenly, healthy concoction that meat lovers could enjoy. A little vinegar bite from the kimchi, a little ponzu, and the buttery yolk revealed why this classic Korean dish has stood the test of time.

A few weeks later, we attempted a re-creation and were astounded at how easy this dish is to make. Any level of cook can master this Korean favorite, and it is sure to please even the pickiest eaters.

Or you can always invite us.

Inspired by Jennifer Bosson's recipe - made here with rice noodles.

BIBIMBAP

14 ounces rice stick noodles (or sub with 3 cups short-grain rice)

1 package extra-firm tofu (or sub with thinly sliced beef, chicken, pork or shrimp)

6 large eggs

Tofu marinade:

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

2 tablespoons ponzu sauce (sold in Asian food aisle)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 green onions chopped

2 clove garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Vegetable marinade:

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons ponzu sauce

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

4 cloves garlic minced

3 green onions, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetables:

1 package bean sprouts

4 ounces crimini mushrooms, quartered

2 medium zucchini, cut into long, thin matchsticks

2 carrots, peeled, boiled for several minutes and cut into matchsticks

1 cucumber, cut into long thin matchsticks

Place tofu in a baking sheet and cover with paper towel. Place a weight (a can of food is fine) on top of the paper towel and let sit for 1 hour to expel liquid. Then cut into 1 inch cubes.

Combine sugar, ponzu, sesame oil, green onion, garlic and pepper mixing very well to dissolve sugar. Pour over tofu and marinate for a minimum of two hours.

Make vegetable marinade by combining sesame oil, ponzu sauce, vinegar, sesame seeds, garlic and green onions in a small bowl.

Fill a medium pan with water and bring to a boil. Blanch bean sprouts for 1 minute, remove from boiling water, rinse with cold water and pat out excess water with a paper towel. Repeat with zucchini, carrots, and cucumber.

Keeping the blanched veggies in their own bowls, mix the contents of each bowl with the vegetable marinade.

Cook the rice stick noodles in boiling water for roughly 2-3 minutes, drain and place into six bowls for serving.

In a hot saute pan, add about a tablespoon of sesame oil and saute the tofu and mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. Then add about 3 tablespoons of the tofu marinade to the pan and cook until the volume of the marinade has reduced by half (about 3 minutes).

Fry the eggs in a nonstick pan for about 1 minute, then gently flip the eggs over and cook for 1 minute longer.

Arrange vegetables and tofu on top of rice stick pasta. Garnish with egg. Serve with kimchi (found in produce section) and a drizzle of sesame oil.

Makes 6 servings.

Greg Baker is a classically trained executive chef with more than 20 years of trend-setting restaurant experience. Greg and Michelle are co-owners of Cooks & Company Personal Chef and Catering. Go to www.cooksncompany.com or www.culinarysherpas.com.

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