Bring a small pot of water to a boil and quickly blanch the spinach by submerging in water for about 30 seconds to a minute. Immediately remove the spinach from the pot and shock by placing in a bowl of cold water, or rinsing under cool water.
Use your hands to squeeze out any excess water, then toss spinach with seasoning ingredients, to taste.
Heat a little neutral oil in a pan over medium heat and add zucchini. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden on the edges then add garlic and cook for another minute. Season with salt, to taste.
Heat a little neutral oil in a pan over medium heat and add carrots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until vibrant in colour and slightly tender then season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add shaved cabbage to a mixing bowl along with all seasoning ingredients and toss using tongs or your hands, to coat. Make sure seasoning covers all of the cabbage and then let sit. Drain off any excess liquid at the bottom of the bowl.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil and quickly blanch the soybean sprouts by submerging in water for about a minute or two. Immediately remove the soybeans sprouts from the pot and shock by placing in a bowl of cold water, or rinsing under cool water.
Toss blanched soybean sprouts with seasoning ingredients, to taste.
Heat a little neutral oil in a pan over medium heat and add tofu. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until lightly golden brown and then season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Heat a little neutral oil in a pan over medium heat and add mushrooms. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until tender and slightly shrunken, then add toasted sesame oil and salt and pepper, to taste.
Be sure to wash your rice before cooking. This not only helps remove any debris and dirt but also excess starch. I recommend rinsing in cool water and draining off excess water 3-4 times until the water runs fairly clear.
Always use the rice measuring cup and water lines to make sure you’re cooking the rice precisely. Zojirushi’s rice cookers come with a rice measuring cup and have clear marks on the inside of the cooking pot to indicate how much water should be added for each variety of rice.
Finally, make sure you’re using the correct rice cooker setting! The Micom Rice Cooker has various settings and you’ll want to use the Quick setting or the regular White setting to make perfect short-grain rice.
Whisk together all sauce ingredients, adjusting to taste. You can start with half of the gochujang and add more as you go if you're sensitive to spice.
Start with a base of rice in a bowl for each serving (if using a dolsot, make sure the dolsot is preheated and ripping hot). Arrange each of the ingredients around the perimeter of the bowl in little piles then garnish with desired topping of choice. Serve with sauce on the side, and add to taste.