[Anime Culture Monday] Anime Recipe: Bibimbap from Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain)

Hello everyone and welcome back to Anime Recipes from Honey’s Anime. If this is your first time with us on a Monday, we explore the delicious food that is shown in anime week by week and break down how to make it easily! This time we are visiting a relatively different dish set in Japan. This dish is not a staple Japanese in the traditional sense, but it is widely enjoyed by the general populace. This week, we are jetting across the Sea of Japan to South Korea to explore one of their greatest exports, bibimbap. Get your passport, your appetite, and a couple of Koi wa Ameagari no You ni episodes to keep you busy while we fly. Let’s go!


Bibimbap from Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain)

Akira Tachibana was an amazing track runner until an injury basically shot her hopes of keeping it up. One thing leads to another and she starts to work in a café called Garden Café. There, with the other workers, Akira works hard to be liked by her peers, but also has something relatively different happen: she starts to get feelings for her manager, who is almost 30 years her senior. While Akira is trying to sort out her own feelings, working in close proximity to each other constantly is only pushing them together more so.

Now while Japan and South Korea have a difficult past spanning hundreds of years which makes the present also difficult at times–Google it because we’re not going down that rabbit hole–one thing that is always safe to say is that Korean food is well-liked. In fact, with the flavor and ingredients being similar to Japanese food, many restaurants offer bibimbap because of how well it is liked. Today, we are exploring an unconventional dish hailing from an unconventional anime. We figured it suited the overall theme. What is bibimbap though?

BIbimbap has so many variations but the original one came from the Joseon Period (1392-16th century). The name means literally “mixed rice”, however, it is not that simple. Originally this was made when people wanted to get rid of extra side dishes before Lunar New Year, thus explaining the hodgepodge of ingredients. It then expanded from there and it’s rumored that it was even served to the king for lunch sometimes! Bibimbap is usually served in a warm bowl with white rice, topped with namul, and then either gochujang, soy sauce, or doenjang. A raw egg is usually cracked on top or meat is placed in it as it arrives piping hot and sometimes even has a flame come with it. Then you wait a few moments, stir, and you’re good to go! From personal experience, it is delicious, so give it a shot!

What You Will Need:

cooked rice
1-2 cups

soy bean sprouts
¼ lb

spinach blanched
2 oz

carrot
¼

bell pepper
¼ red

cucumber
¼

scallion chopped
1

lean cut of beef
¼ lb

egg
1

Salt

Sesame Oil

Veggie oil

Sesame Seeds

Garlic (minced)

Soy Sauce

Gochujang

Optional Notes:

Gochujang, unless you are a spicy food aficionado, will be very spicy. We recommend that you try a little bit before dumping a massive scoop into your dish. You don’t want to render it inedible. Also with the raw egg, stir stir stir till it is cooked. If you are really uneasy about it, you can pass on it, but it is really not the same without it.



How to Cook It:

  1. 1

    With your rice cooked and your spinach blanched and drained, bring your bean sprouts to a rolling boil and let them cook for about 15-20 minutes.
  2. 2

    Once done, drain them and mix with a few pinches of salt, 1 tsp of garlic, and 2 tsp of sesame oil.
  3. 3

    Cut the spinach now and mix with the same seasonings as #2
  4. 4

    Cut the carrot thinly and sprinkle a little salt on them and set them aside for about 5 minutes.
  5. 5

    Cut the red bell pepper and cucumber into strips.
  6. 6

    Place them all in a bowl next to each other starting with the bean sprouts and spinach and finishing with the cucumbers. Don’t put the carrot in yet.
  7. 7

    Thinly slice your beef and mix with 1 tsp of garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Sprinkle a little sesame seeds on it as well.
  8. 8

    Add some veggie oil to a frying pan and fry the carrots slightly.

  9. 9

    Now you need to cook the cucumber, red bell pepper, and onions just a little bit each. No more than a minute in the frying pan. The key is to keep them slightly crunchy still.

  10. 10

    Finally, cook the meat and if you cannot handle the raw egg, cook that, keeping the yolk slightly runny and add it to the dish on top. The idea here is to make sure that the veggies are side by side in the final dish, not mixed together. You mix when you stir at the end.

  11. 11

    Stir, making sure to break the yolk, and then dig in!

(Note: Be careful with the eggs. Don’t overdo it! )

Yum!

Final Thought

The hallyu wave may be over in Japan, but it has brought with it, some fantastic food that is really delicious. Thankfully too, this unconventional dish has found a way into the hearts of the people here. Now if only Koi wa Ameagari no You ni was also as loved. Have you tried bibimbap or Korean food before? Be sure to let us know below! We hope you enjoyed this installment and we look forward to bringing you more next week. Till next time!

005 [Anime Culture Monday] Anime Recipe: Bibimbap from Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain)

Editor/Translator

Author: Nagareboshi

American by birth; international by choice. I am trying to bring attention to one of my favorite causes; me. I translate by day and write by night. Aspiring polyglot. My dream would be to be the personal translator for Amuro Namie. Other than that, my hobbies include languages, weightlifting, sleeping, karaoke, GOOD coffee and music. When I’m not doing any of the above, I am most likely laughing hysterically at Willam Belli videos or EV farming. I ain’t gunna Rupologize for it neither. Waifu are Shirai Kuroko & Euaerin.

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