The Kitchen of Procrastination

This recipe is a for a classic Korean dish called some combination of kopdol/dolst bibimbab/bibimbap, depending on where you go to eat it.  The name means “mixed up rice in a stone pot” and describes the dish so very well.
Have you ever had Korean food?  If not, I highly recommend it!  But, you might want to try it at a restaurant before invest in the special stone pot (dolsot) needed for this.   And as I presume most people don’t own one, this recipe is mainly for my brother, who I know does – because I gave it to him for Christmas.  Now, this will seem really complicated, but it actually should take no longer to prepare than it takes to boil a pot of brown rice.  Now, before you can make the meal, you have to prepare the pot.  I used the method described (somewhat sillily  here).
When done right, this dish has everything: savory, spicy, a little sweet, salty, good protein, lots of veggies, crispy, soft, crunchy, smooth.  YUMS

Kopdol Bibimbab
1 cup rice (I used a premixed variety that I bought at a Korean Mart)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
Water (according to instruction on rice package)

1-2 cups  of each veggie, washed and sliced (I like julienned carrots, sliced zucchini, snow peas, and bean sprouts)
Sesame Oil
White rice vinegar
Soy sauce

1/4 cup  gochujang
2 Tbs sugar (I like ½ brown sugar, ½ white)
3 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

Egg (optional)

First, start the rice.  Rinse the rice in water until water runs clear.  Add the rice, salt, and sesame oil to a pan.  Turn heat to medium high and toss to coat the rice in oil.  Lightly toast the rice for a minute or two, then add the water.  Bring to  a boil, then turn down the heat to low.  Cover and simmer until soft, but with a little texture left.  (~20 min for white rice, ~45 for brown)

Now, preparing the veggies is a little more art than science.

This is a basic method of cooking them, which can be modified depending on the veggies and your preference.  The key is to cook each vegetable separately then put them on top of the rice looking pretty.

Place about a tsp of sesame oil in a medium-large saute pan. Heat up to medium-high heat and add vegetable with a dash of salt. Cook for a minute or two, until just underdone, but possibly seared a bit.  Add about a Tbs of rice wine vinegar to pan and stir around.  Continue cooking until all the vinegar has evaporated.  Place in a bowl and set aside.  Repeat with each vegetable.  You can mix it up by using soy sauce instead of the vinegar.  I like to use the hot pepper sesame oil instead sometimes.  You can also use this method to prepare tofu, though the vinegar isn’t necessary then. While preparing the veggies, set the dolsot on the stove and turn on to medium.  Brush a little sesame oil on the bottom of the pot.  Allow to heat up.

For the sauce, which is essential, mix together the last 5 ingredients and whisk with a fork until smooth.  Set aside.

When the rice is done, place about ½ – 1 cup in the bottom of the pot.  Allow to sit and sizzle for several minutes (about 5).  Top with several different sections of vegetables.  Add a fried egg if you like (sunny side up).  Finish  with plenty of sauce.  Mix it all up and enjoy.