Lately we’ve been obsessed with toasting cooked rice in a cast iron with a bit of sesame oil. Once it’s crispy we add whatever vegetables are on hand, a sunny side up egg, and a mixture of gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste) and vinegar. It makes an awesome chewy and spicy homemade version of Dolsot Bibimbap which is good for snacks, lunch, dinner, or even breakfast.

Recipes for bibimbap (literally translated from the Korean as “mixed rice”) can be found all over the internet; for the video we used Nick Kindelsparger’s recipe from Serious Eats. His version isn’t done in a dolsot (stone pot), so it doesn’t produce that crunchy layer of rice, which is, in our opinion, the best part. Since we don’t own a dolsot and have no plans for finding space for one of those heavy guys, we used a cast iron skillet. We highly recommend throwing some rice in any kind of heavy-bottomed pan with sesame oil the next time you cook. It takes 10-15 minutes on medium heat for the rice to get deliciously crispy but is well worth the wait.

Paul and our friend Jae Song got crazy in the kitchen a few days ago making this V-Day themed dish: beet juice pasta filled with goat milk ricotta and some toasty artichoke hearts to top it off. Here’s a little vid that shows what went down. Special thanks to Jae for shooting and for all his help. Happy Valentine’s Day!