For our second trial, we decided to see how well our home-prepared bibimbap would survive a 25-minute delivery.

We used the following ingredients:

• barley
• kale
• shiitake mushrooms
• ground bison
• lentil sprouts
• parsnip
• spaghetti squash
• carrots
• toasted sesame seeds
• toasted pine nuts
• fried eggs

The ground bison was marinated for 48 hours in advance with sesame oil, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and maple syrup.

Instead of spinach, we tried to see if kale could work as a replacement. We sautéed shredded kale for five minutes and then let it simmer in chicken broth for another seven minutes.

Also, in place of zucchini or yellow squash, we bought spaghetti squash. We drizzled extra virgin olive oil over the halved squash first, then poured 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in the middle of the squash, and seasoned each half with 1 pinch of sea salt. We oven-baked the squash in 375 degrees for forty minutes.

For lentil sprouts, we simply blanched them in boiling water for 20 seconds to rid them of their raw taste. We also slow-cooked shiitake mushrooms in six tablespoons of chicken broth on the stove.

Of all the ingredients, the fried egg demanded the most attention. The trick to having perfect fried eggs with runny yolk is to put the fire on low and let the egg sit on a thin layer of butter for five minutes. We succeeded with three very nice eggs.

In place of white rice this time, opted for barley, a healthier alternative. We soaked the barley in sesame oil for thirty minutes and cooked it on the stove with chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaves for thirty minutes.

For the all-important gochujang, we used a higher quality chili powder this time, which gave us spicier results. We followed the gochujang recipe from Trial #1 but added ¼ cup more of chili powder to the mix. We also let the mixture sit in the fridge for three days before putting it through the food processor.

We carefully assembled the completed ingredients in three round plastic containers. We stored the gochujang in a separate plastic container. We then stacked them on top of each other in a paper bag for transport. By the time we arrived at our destination, the containers had lost some heat, so we microwaved each for 30 seconds, which helped a great deal without altering any of the ingredients.

When we sat down to eat, we had a bit of trouble mixing because the gochujang had become too sticky. The taste of chicken broth was a bit overwhelming in some bites, especially in the kale and barley. The spaghetti squash also did not mix too well because they clumped together too easily. On the positive side, the variety of ingredients provided interesting flavors in each bite. The ratio of barley to toppings was spot on, and the bison turned out very successful in both taste and texture.

Overall, Trial #2 went very well, and it was especially encouraging to see the bibimbap hold up in transit. There is, of course, much room for improvement. Some things we hope to correct for the next trial:

1. avoid using chicken broth as it overwhelmed the flavor of other ingredients
2. avoid using ingredients that get too pulpy and bunch up too easily (i.e. spaghetti squash)
3. cut carrots and parsnip into shorter, thinner pieces
4. add some more water to make the gochujang less viscous (it was too sticky and hard to mix)
5. barley was a bit too dry; more water next time
6. add more sesame oil after preparing and assembling the ingredients

Next up: a round of more conventional bibimbap ingredients on a super-tight budget.

Big thanks to Reggie for handling this trial round entirely on his own.