Korean Rice Bowls

My husband and I love Oriental foods.  He spent time in Korea while he was in the Air Force and says he got to experience some amazing foods.  So, I decided to try my hand at a recipe I found for some Korean Rice Bowls with Steak, Asparagus, and Eggs.  I modified it a little bit for what I had on hand, but they were quite tasty.
First, let's meet our ingredients:

Sesame seeds, sea salt, chili powder, strip steak, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, sugar, cooking Sherry, garlic, asparagus, vegetable oil, eggs, rice, and kochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)

Toast sesame seeds over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

After the seeds have cooled, grind them, the sea salt, and chile powder until about half of the sesame seeds are finely ground.

Cut steak into thin slices.

Whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, sugar, sherry, and garlic in a bowl.

Toss steak in the mixture.  Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Arrange asparagus on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Toss with vegetable oil and sesame oil.  Sprinkle the sesame salt over it all.

Broil for about 4 minutes.

Heat griddle to about 325 degrees; spray with cooking oil.

In batches, grill steak until just browned, about 1 minute on each side.

Once steak is cooked, crack eggs onto hot griddle.

Cook until whites are set but yolks are still runny.  (I overdid these a little because my husband and I can't stand raw eggs!)

Divide rice among bowls.  Divide asparagus among bowls.  Divide steak among bowls.  Top with fried egg.  Serve with pepper paste.

Recipe:

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

.75 teaspoon sea salt

.5 teaspoon chili powder

1.5 pounds New York strip steak

.25 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cooking Sherry

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can asparagus spears

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 eggs

3 cups fresh cooked Jasmine rice

Korean hot pepper paste (kochujang)

1)  Toast sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until golden brown, approximately 3 minutes.  Transfer to small bowl to cool.  Grind sesame seeds, sea salt, and chili powder in mortar with pestle or in spice mill until half of the sesame seeds are finely ground.  Return to small bowl.  (This can be done up to a day ahead.)

2)  Cut steak in approximately .125-inch-thick slices.  Whisk soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, green onions, sugar, Sherry, and garlic in medium bowl.  Toss steak in mixture.  Marinate at room temperature 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

3)  Preheat oven on low broiler setting.  Drain asparagus and arrange stalks on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Toss asparagus with 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.  Sprinkle with the sesame salt.  Broil for 4 minutes.  Keep warm.

4)  Spray griddle with vegetable oil.  Working in batches, grill steak until just browned, about 1 minute per side.  Transfer to bowl; keep warm.  Spray griddle with vegetable oil.  Crack eggs onto hot griddle.  Cook until whites are set but yolks are runny, about 3 minutes.

5)  Divide warm rice among bowls.  Divide asparagus, then beef among bowls, placing on top of rice.  Top with fried egg.  Serve with Korean hot pepper paste.

This was pretty much the epitome of awesome.  Our apartment smelled like a quaint little take-out place.  The asparagus had a lovely flavor from the sesame salt, the beef was sweet and tender, the eggs had a nice kick from the flavors left on the griddle, the pepper paste was super spicy.  It was just wonderful.  It didn't really take that long to put together, either.  We'd definitely make it again!

Taste: 4.5
Difficulty: 3.5
Good-for-you-factor: 3.5
Fullness-factor: 4.5
Overall: 4.0