Korean Lettuce Wraps with Rice (Ssambap) 쌈밥 - Vegetarian

Bit Bit was thinking of making dinner for Pig today, so after looking through the fridge, there are some beansprouts (tau gey), firm beancurd (tau kwa) and romaine lettuce. Normally, Pig will cook stir-fried tau gey with tau kwa, but Bit Bit wanted to try out something special and the lettuce looks great for some korean lettuce wraps. Since Pig is a vegetarian, Bit Bit decided to make the tau gey and tau kwa the side dishes.

The ssambap took about 30 minutes, and is very easy.

Things that Bit Bit found out about making ssambap:

• Ssambap is a very healthy dish with the correct side dishes.
• The ssamjang 쌈장 enhances the taste of the ssambap.
• Nicely cooked rice makes the ssambap tastier.
• One can mix all the ingredients up together with ssamjang like bibimbap and it tastes just as nice, if one finds it troublesome to wrap them up one, which is what Pig did after eating half of it.

Ingredients that Bit Bit used for Ssambap:

1. Romaine Lettuce - 1 Bunch
2. White Rice - 3/4 Cup Uncooked
3. Tau Kwa - 1 Piece
4. Beansprouts - 1.5 Cups
5. Canola Oil - 3 Tbsp
6. Salt - A Pinch
7. Light Soy Sauce - 1 Tsp
8. Ssamjang - 2 Tbsp

Method that Bit Bit used to make Ssambap:

1. Wash the rice thoroughly for about three times.
2. Add water to the rice. The water level should be over the rice level by about 1.5 times.
3. Cook the rice at medium heat.
4. When the water starts to dry up, stir the rice to prevent the rice from being burnt. Add some water if the water seems insufficient.
5. Once rice starts to feel 90% cooked and most of the water has dried up, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid.
6. The rice should be ready after about 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Cut the tau kwa evenly into bite-size rectangular pieces.
8. Heat up the pan and add about 1.5 tbsp of oil.
9. Stir-fry the tau kwa till golden and serve on plate.
10. Add another 1.5 tbsp of oil to the pan.
11. Stir-fry the beansprouts for about 3 to 5 minutes.
12. Sprinkle some salt over the beansprouts and add light soy sauce.
13. Stir-fry the beansprouts for another 2 to 3 minutes and serve on plate.
14. Cut off the roots of the romaine lettuce and rinse the lettuce in water for about three times.
15. Flick the lettuce on a bowl to remove excess water on the leaves.
16. Serve the rice, lettuce, tau kwa and beansprouts on a plate with ssamjang.
17. Wrap everything up and eat!