Modern Bibimbap with Lemon-Chili Sauce

• 1 cup rice
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 3 eggs
• 2 baby carrots
• 1 cucumber
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms
• 1 package radish sprouts
• 1 sheet nori cut into matchsticks
• Sesame oil, as needed
• 2 tablespoons Korean chili paste
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Corn oil, as needed

1. Add water and rice to a rice cooker and set to steamed rice.

2. Fry eggs sunny side up and reserve warm.

3. Slice baby carrots on mandolin thin. Blanch and shock in water. Add a little sesame oil, salt and pepper to the carrots and reserve at room temperature.

4. Slice cucumber thin on mandolin. Salt cucumbers and let sit for 10 minutes. Wash cucumbers and squeeze out excess liquid. Combine with vinegar, salt and sugar and let pickle at room temperature.

5. Cut zucchini into matchsticks. Fry in sauté pan with a little sesame oil just until soft. Reserve at room temperature.

6. Slice shitake mushrooms thin, toss with a little sesame oil and roast in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until dark and slightly crispy. Reserve at room temperature.

7. Combine chili paste, lemon juice in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

8. When rice is done, scoop 1/3 cut into a 4- inch ring mold and flatten on top. Fry these rice cakes in corn oil for 2 minutes on each side until crispy.

9. Put chili sauce on bottom of plate. Place rice cake over sauce. Place fried egg over this. Layer the carrots, cucumbers, zucchini and mushrooms on top. Garnish with radish sprouts and nori.