Rice with Mountain Vegetables and Spicy Sauce

== Ingredients ==
* 4 cups Korean or Japanese short-grain rice, soaked for 20 minutes
* 5½ tbsp sesame oil
* 1 cup dried bellflower or 2 cups thinly sliced oyster mushrooms
* 3½ tsp chopped garlic
* 2 tsp + 1 tbsp salt
* 1½ tsp red pepper powder or paprika
* 2 cups dried fernbracken or 2 yellow summer squash, sliced into 2-inch-long matchsticks
* 5½ tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce
* 6½ tbsp vegetable oil
* 1 tbsp sesame salt or table salt
* 1 tbsp scallion strips, about ½ scallion
* 6 dried pyogo (shiitake mushrooms), soaked for 20 minutes
* 2 tbsp granulated sugar
* 2 tbsp cooking wine
* 1 carrot, quartered and sliced into 2-inch-long matchsticks
* ½ medium-sized onion, sliced into 2-inch-long matchsticks
* 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced into 2-inch-long matchsticks
* 2 cups (about ¼ lb) bean sprouts, rinsed
* 1 bunch (½ lb) spinach, rinsed, trimmed and blanched
* ½ Korean pear or crisp, tart apple, sliced into 2-inch-long matchsticks
* 6 tsp red pepper paste, or more to taste
* 6 fried eggs
* 1 sheet laver (seaweed), cut into 1-inch-long x ¼-inch-wide strips
== Directions ==
# Bring 4 to 4¼ cups water to a boil in large saucepan over medium heat, and stir in rice.
# Cover, reduce heat to low and cook about 20 minutes.
# When cooked, remove from heat, add 2 tablespoons sesame oil and mix thoroughly.
# Keep rice covered until ready to serve.
# Place bellflower in saucepan with water to cover, and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
# Discard water, and repeat process.
# Place bellflower in saucepan with lightly salted water to cover, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until bitterness is gone and bellflower is easy to slice.
# Remove from heat, drain and cut each root into strips.
# Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet or large wok, and stir-fry bellflower with ½ teaspoon chopped garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon red pepper powder.
# Add 3 to 4 tablespoons water, and cover.
# Cook about 10 minutes, or until tender, remove from heat and stir in ¼ teaspoon sesame oil.
# Set aside.
# Alternatively, heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet or large wok, and stir-fry oyster mushrooms with ½ teaspoon chopped garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon red pepper powder.
# Cook about 5 minutes, or until tender, remove from heat and stir in ¼ teaspoon sesame oil.
# Set aside.
# Place fernbracken in saucepan with water to cover, and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
# Discard water, and repeat process.
# Remove from heat, drain and cut fernbracken into 2-inch-long pieces.
# Place pieces in bowl, and season with 4 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons chopped garlic, ½ tablespoon vegetable oil and ½ teaspoon red pepper powder.
# Alternatively, place summer squash matchsticks in bowl, and season with 4 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons chopped garlic, ½ tablespoon cooking oil, and ½ teaspoon red pepper powder.
# Set aside.
# Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet or large wok, and stir-fry fernbracken, adding water to cover and cooking 15 minutes, or until tender.
# Remove from heat, drain and mix with 1 tablespoon sesame salt, 1 tablespoon scallion strips and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
# Set aside.
# Alternatively, heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet or large wok, and stir-fry summer squash matchsticks 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent.
# Remove from heat, drain and mix with 1 tablespoon sesame salt, 1 tablespoon scallion strips and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
# Set aside.
# Stem mushrooms, and slice thinly.
# Place in saucepan with mushroom soaking water.
# Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons cooking wine, and cook over medium heat 10 minutes, or until tender.
# Set aside.
# Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet or large wok, and stir-fry carrots, adding ½ teaspoon salt and a few teaspoons water to prevent burning.
# Cook 3 to 4 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
# Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet or large wok, and stir-fry onion, adding ½ teaspoon salt and a few teaspoons water to prevent burning.
# Cook 3 to 4 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
# Sprinkle cucumber with ½ tablespoon salt, and let stand.
# When limp, squeeze hard.
# Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet or large wok, and stir-fry cucumber about 1 minute.
# Remove from heat, and set aside.
# Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet or large wok, and stir-fry bean sprouts with ½ teaspoon garlic.
# Add salt and sprinkle of water, cover and cook until bean sprouts are softened, about 3 minutes.
# Season with 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon red pepper powder.
# Squeeze out water from spinach, and mix with ½ tablespoon sesame oil and ½ tablespoon soy sauce.
# To serve, fill bottom of individual shallow bowl with rice.
# Alternate vegetables and pear side by side on rice like rays of sun, placing 1 teaspoon red pepper paste in center.
# Place egg near red pepper paste.
# Sprinkle slivers of laver on top, and serve.
# Repeat process with remaining ingredients until all used up.
Category:Apple Recipes
Category:Asian pear Recipes
Category:Mung bean sprout Recipes
Category:Carrot Recipes
Category:Cucumber Recipes
Category:Doraji Recipes
Category:Egg Recipes
Category:Fiddlehead Recipes
Category:Laver Recipes
Category:Oyster mushroom Recipes