Ingredients:

1/4 lb. chopped or ground beef
1 t. medium soy sauce
½ t. sesame oil
pinch black pepper
1 green onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced into 1-inch rounds, sprinkled with a little salt
½ large carrot, sliced into matchstick size pieces, sprinkled with a little salt
1/4 lb bellflower roots (toraji in Korean), soaked in warm water until soft and shredded, sprinkled with a little salt *
3 large shiitake mushrooms, shredded, sprinkled with a little salt
2-3 t sesame oil
1/8 lb bean sprouts (soy bean is usual), sprinkled with salt, sesame oil and a small amount of finely chopped garlic sesame seeds
Red pepper paste, to taste **
1 egg per person
3 cups raw rice, steamed ***
4-6 whole Romaine or green leaf lettuce leaves

To Prepare:

Have all the ingredients cut, soaked, and seasoned ready for cooking. Prepare rice by steaming. While rice is cooking prepare the rest. Mix together in a small bowl 1 t. medium soy sauce, ½ t. sesame oil, pinch black pepper, 1 green onion, thinly sliced into rings, and 1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped. Add beef and mix together. Let stand. Heat a deep, heavy skillet, or wok until hot. Add 1 t sesame oil. When hot add beef and stir fry quickly. Set aside. Heat 1 t sesame oil in hot pan. Add cucumber slices. Stir fry quickly: cucumber should retain its color and remain crunchy. Remove from pan and set aside. Add 1 t sesame oit to hot pan and stir fry the carrot sticks the same way. Remove and set aside. Cook bellflower roots an shiitake mushrooms sequentially in the same way. Remove and set aside. Fry eggs in same pan, sunny side up. Keep warm. When ready to serve, place lettuce leaf in individual serving bowls. Place a mound of hot cooked rice on the leaf in the bowl. Place small mounds of beef, cucumbers, carrots, bellflower roots, shiitake mushrooms and bean sprouts. Sprinkle sesame seeds on bean sprouts, or any other ingredient you like. Place cooked egg on top. Serve at once, while hot, with small bowl of red pepper chile paste. To eat, have ready a long handled Korean spoon. Add as much pepper paste as desired and stir the whole all together. Do not be shy, mix well. Add more pepper paste to taste.

Serves 4-6

* Dried bellflower roots can be found at Korean grocery stores, or from specialized mail order houses. If you cannot find them, omit or try slicing daikon (large Asian radish) into matchsticks and season in the same way.

** Red pepper pastes can be found in many Asian markets, or by mail order. Do not use hot Mexican or Southwestern-style sauces!

***Koreans prefer short or medium grain rice that is cooked until slightly sticky.