Aster Scaber Rice Bowls (Chwinamul Bbap) | 취나물밥
Pronounced: ChwEE-naH-mul Bbap
What: Rehydrated Aster Scaber that is seasoned with rice, topped off with ground beef, and eaten with a delicious sesame soy sauce blend. These delicious, wholesome, hearty rice bowls are one of a kind and a family favorite.
Taste: Aster Scaber is a wild herb found in the mountains in Korea. It has a very distinctive taste that is herby and earthy, but NOT grassy at all. Very flavorful and quite addicting to eat! It has a pleasant bitterness that pairs beautifully when seasoned with rice.
How It’s Made: Soak dried aster scaber in water for 3 hours. Then boil it. Add to seasoned rice. Cook in rice cooker. Cook ground beef and make the sesame seed soy sauce. Serve once rice is all cooked!
What to Serve it With: We ate it with baby napa kimchi!
Notes & Tips: Go to the Korean Grocery Store and buy aster scaber (it’s a dried herb). Heads up, it probably won’t be marked in English but rather Korean. Thus, use the picture below for reference and look for the words “취나물”. Be sure to buy dried aster scaber that doesn’t look too old and dry. Our favorite brand is pictured below. ……………….
Typically, you can find this aster scaber either in the dried herb section or in a specialized area that contains all the in seasons and just imported foods. This specialized area is very obvious and often towards the front of the grocery stores.
Aster Scaber is on the bottom right.
For me, this section was found towards the cashiers, in a specialized area advertising the fresh, new items imported from Korea.
Aster Scaber Rice Bowls (Chwinamul Bbap) | 취나물밥
Ingredients:
- 100g dried aster scaber (취나물 in Korean)
- Water
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce (We use regular Kikkoman)
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 Tsp sugar
- 2 cups white rice (375 to 390g), rinsed and drained (Tip: Rinse rice in water 3x. The water should NOT be completely clear! There should be a slight fog to it.)
- 2 & 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 heaping tsp Dasida Beef Stock Powder (We use CJ Dasida)
- 1/2 heaping Tbsp olive oil
- Oil
- 9 oz ground beef
- 1/2 heaping Tbsp garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp & 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp Dasida Beef Stock Powder (We use CJ Dasida)
- Black Pepper
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp Korean plum extract (We use CJ brand)
- 4 green onions, chopped (85g)
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
Instructions:
- Rehydrate dried aster scaber by submerging and spreading entire aster scaber in water. Water should be at level with the aster scaber. Let it sit in the water for a minimum of 3 hours. In the meantime, you can prepare ahead by cooking the ground beef and making the rice bowl sauce (below).
- After 3 hours, rinse aster scaber in cold water several times. Place rinsed aster scaber in a strainer to drain out any excess water.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add water (enough for it to be able to boil all the aster scaber, about 3/4 full in the pot). Add aster scaber. Wait for it to boil, then cover with lid but leave a small gap open. Let it boil for 20 minutes, mixing around the aster scaber halfway through.
- Strain the aster scaber to drain out the water. Then rinse aster scaber in cold water until it is no longer hot. Let it sit in the strainer for 10 minutes to drain excess water. After 10 minutes, pick up a handful of aster scaber and give it a quick squeeze. You don’t want to squeeze out all the waters, so don’t squeeze too much. Add to a medium mixing bowl, and repeat until you have squeezed all aster scaber.
- Untangle the aster scaber. Add in the following seasonings and mix into aster scaber: 3 Tbsp soy sauce (We use regular Kikkoman), 1 Tbsp sesame oil, and 1/2 Tsp sugar.
- In your rice cooker’s pot, add the following: 2 cups white rice (375 to 390g), rinsed and drained (Tip: Rinse rice in water 3x. The water should NOT be completely clear! There should be a slight fog to it.), 2 & 1/3 cup water, 1/2 heaping tsp Dasida Beef Stock Powder (We use CJ Dasida), and 1/2 heaping Tbsp olive oil.
- Add the seasoned aster scaber right on top and plug in your rice cooker to cook! While the rice cooks, cook ground beef.
- Important! For us, we know the rice is fully cooked when the rice cooker switches from COOKING to KEEP WARM (about 20 minutes). Once it switches to KEEP WARM (this means it’s fully cooked, about 20 minutes), give it a thorough mix and let it sit for an additional 5 minutes (close the lid). Do NOT let it sit longer than that— your rice will dry out!
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with some oil. Add in 9 oz ground beef and stir around until it is no longer pink. With a paper towel, absorb the excess juices that come out of the beef.
- Then, add in 1/2 heaping Tbsp minced garlic and 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Mix. Add in the remaining ingredients, giving it a mix after each ingredient is added: 1/2 Tbsp & 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp Dasida Beef Stock Powder (We use CJ Dasida), and Black Pepper.
- Once the flavors are absorbed in the meat (it shouldn’t take long), turn off heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the following ingredients and mix: 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp Korean plum extract (We use CJ brand), 4 green onions, chopped (85g), 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
- Set aside. This is poured onto the final rice bowl as you eat.
- As mentioned earlier, we know the rice is fully cooked when the rice cooker switches from COOKING to KEEP WARM (about 20 minutes). Once it switches to KEEP WARM (this means it’s fully cooked, about 20 minutes), give it a thorough mix and let it sit for an additional 5 minutes (close the lid). Do NOT let it sit longer than that— your rice will dry out!
- After those 5 minutes pass, unplug the rice cooker, give it a quick mix, and assemble your bowl.
- Add in desired amount of rice, then top it off with seasoned ground beef. We place the sesame soy sauce on the dinner table with a spoon in it. You add that sauce to your rice bowl, mix, and take a bite. You add the sauce as you eat (not all at once— your rice will get soggy if you do it all at once!). Serve with kimchi!
Instructions with Visuals
Highly recommend following these instruction over written text!
Rehydrate Aster Scaber
Add water to a large bowl. Submerge and spread out the aster scaber. Water should be at level with the aster scaber. Let it sit in the water for a minimum of 3 hours. In the meantime, you can prepare ahead by cooking the ground beef and making the rice bowl sauce (below).
After 3 hours, rinse aster scaber in cold water several times. Place rinsed aster scaber in a strainer to drain out any excess water.
In a large pot over medium-high heat, add water (just enough for it to be able to boil all the aster scaber). Add aster scaber.
Wait for it to boil, then cover with lid but leave a small gap open. Let it boil for 20 minutes, mixing around the aster scaber halfway through.
Strain the aster scaber to drain out the water. Then rinse aster scaber in cold water until it is no longer hot. Let it sit in the strainer for 10 minutes to drain excess water. After 10 minutes, pick up a handful of aster scaber and give it a quick squeeze. You don’t want to squeeze out all the waters, so don’t squeeze too much. Add to a medium mixing bowl, and repeat until you have squeezed all aster scaber.
Aster Scaber
Untangle the aster scaber. Add in the following seasonings and mix into aster scaber:
3 Tbsp soy sauce (We use regular Kikkoman)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 Tsp sugar
Rice
In your rice cooker’s pot, add the following:
2 cups white rice (375 to 390g), rinsed and drained
Tip: Rinse rice in water 3x. The water should NOT be completely clear! There should be a slight fog to it.
2 & 1/3 cup water
1/2 heaping tsp Dasida Beef Stock Powder (We use CJ Dasida)
1/2 heaping Tbsp olive oil
Add the seasoned aster scaber right on top and plug in your rice cooker to cook! While the rice cooks, cook ground beef.
Important! For us, we know the rice is fully cooked when the rice cooker switches from COOKING to KEEP WARM (about 20 minutes). Once it switches to KEEP WARM (this means it’s fully cooked, about 20 minutes), give it a thorough mix and let it sit for an additional 5 minutes (close the lid). Do NOT let it sit longer than that— your rice will dry out!
Optional Tip: If you would like to make a side dish with aster scaber (a completely separate recipe from this one, I will have it linked here once I have the recipe up!), take out a handful of the seasoned aster scaber and adjust the rice seasoning to the following:
1 & 1/2 cup white rice (285g)
1 & 3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp Dasida Beef Stock Powder (We use CJ Dasida)
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Add the seasoned aster scaber right on top and plug in your rice cooker to cook! While the rice cooks, cook ground beef.
Important! For us, we know the rice is fully cooked when the rice cooker switches from COOKING to KEEP WARM (about 20 minutes). Once it switches to KEEP WARM (this means it’s fully cooked, about 20 minutes), give it a thorough mix and let it sit for an additional 5 minutes (close the lid). Do NOT let it sit longer than that— your rice will dry out!
Ground Beef
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with some oil. Add in ground beef and stir around until it is no longer pink. With a paper towel, absorb the excess juices that come out of the beef.
Then, add in 1/2 heaping Tbsp minced garlic and 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Mix. Add in the remaining ingredients, giving it a mix after each ingredient is added:
1/2 Tbsp & 1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp Dasida Beef Stock Powder (We use CJ Dasida)
Black Pepper
Once the flavors are absorbed in the meat (it shouldn’t take long), turn off heat and set aside.
Sesame seed soy Sauce Blend
In a small bowl, add the following ingredients and mix:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp Korean plum extract (We use CJ brand)
4 green onions, chopped (85g)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
Set aside. This is poured onto the final rice bowl as you eat.
Assemble Rice Bowl & Serve!
As mentioned earlier, we know the rice is fully cooked when the rice cooker switches from COOKING to KEEP WARM (about 20 minutes). Once it switches to KEEP WARM (this means it’s fully cooked, about 20 minutes), give it a thorough mix and let it sit for an additional 5 minutes (close the lid). Do NOT let it sit longer than that— your rice will dry out!
After those 5 minutes pass, unplug the rice cooker, give it a quick mix, and assemble your bowl.
Add in desired amount of rice, then top it off with seasoned ground beef. We place the sesame soy sauce on the dinner table with a spoon in it. You add that sauce to your rice bowl, mix, and take a bite. You add the sauce as you eat (not all at once— your rice will get soggy if you do it all at once!). Serve with kimchi!
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