My dad used to grow rows and rows of swiss chard in his garden every summer. And every fall, my mom took that bountiful harvest and readied it for the freezer. We had a separate freezer in the basement that was packed with pouches of parboiled swiss chard. She used it in soups, seasoned it as a side dish, and often included it in a main dish my siblings and I called swiss chard bap or swiss chard rice. It was a simple dish – rice, a little beef, and swiss chard – all made in a rice cooker. She served it with a sauce called yang nyum jang that just tied everything together. Yang nyum jang is basically seasoned soy sauce.
Swiss chard bap is perfect for a weeknight meal. It can be made ahead of time thanks to the nifty rice cooker. To make the meal more complete, you can accompany this rice dish with a light brothy soup like kongnamul guk (soybean sprout soup) or miso soup.
Swiss Chard Bap (Rice)
Ingredients
- Cooking oil
- 3/4 pound beef sirloin or boneless short rib (my fave), chopped
- 12 ounces swiss chard trimmed of the tougher ribs, chiffonade in 1/2-inch strips
- 2 cups medium grain rice rinsed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 stalks green onions thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 Tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon kochugaru red pepper powder, OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned.
- Add the cooked beef and the juices into the rice cooker pot. Add rice and 3 cups of water. Give it a stir. Add the swiss chard. There is no need to mix in the chard. Click the rice cooker "on" as you would if you're cooking a pot of plain rice.
- While you wait, prepare the yang nyum jang. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, green onions, and sesame seeds. When you add the sesame seeds, crush fingerfuls of the seeds between your fingers as you add it to the bowl. And if you want a little heat, add the kochugaru. Mix thoroughly and set aside. This sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat.
- Once the rice is done, toss the rice, beef, and chard with a rice paddle until thoroughly combined.
- Serve in individual bowls. Add a spoonful (more if you'd like) of yang nyum jang to the rice and mix.
Amy,
love that your dad grows swiss chard! this looks like a glorious bowl of Korean-ish comfort food. LOVE!! and looks delicious!
Thanks Alice!!
Wow, I love how awesome and easy this recipe sounds! And the fact that you can just toss the chard into the rice cooker and turn it on!
I had a nice, big rice cooker when I lived in Japan, but now I have a very small, cheap one (that I almost never use anyway, since it’s so easy to prepare rice on the stove) and I kind of doubt all of these ingredients would fit unless I upgrade to a bigger one someday… but I might try this just in a pot on the stove and monitor it carefully– there’s nothing like a one-pot meal!
Hi Allison! It would truly be a one pot meal on the stove. Once the meat is browned, you can throw everything in the same pot! My sister made it on the stove and said it turned out great!
Thanks! I don’t eat beef but I’ll definitely plan to try it with chicken! I’m sure anything would be delicious with that yangnyum-jang on top!
This looks really simple, tasty and satisfying. Is boneless shortrib something I have to go to an asian grocery store for or do you think I can find one at my upscale local grocery? I know they usually have the bone-in.
Hey Chi – I bought by short ribs at Whole Foods. You can also use sirloin. I just like the flavor of short rib!
This looks awesome! Could you also post those swiss chard banchan recipes you mentioned?
Yes, definitely!
I need to add this to my weeknight supper repertoire. Some meat, veg and rice – it’s the perfect meal! Maybe this can get my hubs to eat swiss chard (he’s not a fan but it’s so delicious! And healthy too).