From eu.press-citizen.com
By Andy Douglas
When I lived in South Korea some years ago, I fell in love with many things. This was before the country’s pop culture had seized the rest of the world’s imagination. But the rugged beauty of the mountainous landscape, the warm familial closeness of people, the fascinating, resistance-drenched history, all spoke to me.
And then, of course, there was the food. I ate a plant-based diet, then, as now, and was introduced to an extraordinary palette of flavours in Korea, flavours that I have continued to enjoy down through the years.
At the time, it was quite easy and rewarding to eat a plant-based diet in Korea, thanks to an abundance of fresh greens, the protein-rich heartiness of their bean-based dishes, and the gut-healthy quality of the fermented dishes. Everyone knows about kimchee, the fermented cabbage dish, which has wonderful probiotic qualities. Fewer non-Koreans know about doenjang (rhymes with Ken Long), a fermented bean paste which serves as the basis for many Korean dishes, and is also full of healthy probiotic qualities. Doenjang is analogous to miso, but has a stronger, heartier flavour than Japanese miso.
Korean vegan food is extremely tasty, and very healthful. A long history of Buddhism in Korea, which propagated compassion for all beings, had much to do with maintaining the popularity of a plant-based diet. Koreans do eat a lot of meat these days (this began mostly post-WWII), but adherence to a plant-based diet is also strong. There are several million vegans and vegetarians living in Korea.
One of my favourite dishes is bibimbap. If you order it in a Korean restaurant, it will generally come with meat and a fried egg on top, but the beauty of bibimbap is that it is basically a do-it-yourself stir fry, to which you can add whatever you like, a plant-based eater’s delight! Serve it with a side of deonjang kale, which I’ll also describe in this column, and your tastebuds will luxuriate in the rich flavours.
Bibimbap means ‘mixing rice’ and is basically rice, various sauteed vegetables cooked separately and served on top of the rice, some soy sauce and sesame oil, a few sesame seeds, and perhaps some salty seaweed on the side. Once the ingredients are aesthetically appreciated, you mix everything together. Am I forgetting anything?
Oh yes, the very essence of bibimbap: kochujang or red chili paste. Kochujang, like doenjang, is a key component in much Korean cooking. This means that bibimbap can carry quite a kick; however, mixing all the ingredients together at the table, instead of on the stove, allows you to appreciate their beauty as well as control the level of heat you desire in your dish. If spicy food is not your thing, leave the kochujang out.
Here's what you’ll need (you can use any vegetables for bibimbap, but these are some favourites):
1 Carrot
5 new potatoes
1 zucchini
A handful of bean sprouts
Half a brick of firm tofu
Half a cup of spinach or kale
Olive oil
Soy sauce
Sesame Oil
Sesame Seeds
Salted seaweed
Doenjang
Kochujang.
Both doenjang and kochujang are available in any Korean grocery or Asian foods store, as are the sesame oil, sesame seeds and soy sauce.
Slice all the vegetables into thin julienne-style slices, perhaps an inch long, and saute each of them separately in the olive oil. Cut the tofu into cubes and fry until golden brown.
The presentation is important. It’s best to serve in a bowl rather than on a plate – a serving of rice, the various vegetables around the side of the bowl, the tofu in the middle, a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce, some seaweed lining the edge of the bowl, then open the kochujang and dab the deep red sauce into the middle. And, mix!
As for the doenjang kale, this is even easier. Simply cut your greens into medium sized strips, saute them in a bit of oil, and stir in a tablespoon of doenjang, lightly coating the kale with the paste. The kale dish takes maybe five minutes to take, bibimbap about 20 minutes. Enjoy these healthful, extraordinary tastes!
Andy Douglas is a writer living in Iowa City. He has eaten a plant-based diet for 40 years. His latest book is "Songs of the New Dawn," translations of sacred poetry. Send questions or comments to veganeasterniowa@gmail.com. Visit the VCEI website at https://www.veganeasterniowa.org/ or join the group on Facebook or Meet up.
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