Bibimbap is my go-to dish whenever I go out to a Korean restaurant that I don’t know. By default, it has none of my allergen foods (no gluten, dairy, corn, or coconut) and when made well, is a very balanced meal of vegetables and rice. You can also get it with beef (and most American restaurants serve it with beef by default as well) For the most part I’ve done fine with that. But fair warning… the beef is commonly marinated in a sweetened soy sauce (aka “bulgogi” style beef) and that does come with risk of gluten (soy sauce has gluten) and corn (when corn syrup is used).
As one of my favorite Korean dishes, I had to spend some time this month making bibimbap. While bibimbap is easy to put together, I don’t really consider this an “easy dish”. There’s just a lot of different ingredients and they all have to be cooked separately to get a good taste. This is perhaps easier if you prep the ingredients as “banchan (Korean side dishes)” in advance, but unless you’re in the habit of doing weeks of single-cuisine cooking (or whole months (like me in this 12 months of cuisines challenge or longer), it’s likely you’ll be prepping several of the ingredients used that same day.
The best way to make cooking bibimbap easier is to have at least SOME of the toppings prepped beforehand so the day you assemble they’re all ready and seasoned. In my case, I had my prepped bean sprouts (kongnamul muchim) and premade garlicky spinach (store-bought, not homemade, but probably one of the easiest side dishes to recreate). All I had to cook was the julienned zucchini, beef, egg, and then assemble with the freshly cooked rice.
Bibimbap is not a dish that can truly be a “recipe” although I tried my best for you to create some measurements to start with. The ingredients for bibimbap toppings don’t have to be the exact ones I listed (additional vegetables that are commonly used are mushrooms, carrots, seaweed, kimchi, and pickled cucumbers). The idea is to have a variety of bright colors so when mixed it is an appetizing meal for both the taste buds and eyes.
A simple formula to keep when putting this together though: at least 1 crunchy thing for texture, at least 1 pickled thing for tartness vinegary tartness, at least 1 vegetable flavored with salt and sesame oil, and preferably 1 thing with sweetened gluten free soy sauce for umami-ness.
Grilled Mixed Rice (Dulsot Bibimbap)
Equipment
- 1 earthenware pot alt nonstick pot, but you won't get as good of a crisp at the bottom
Ingredients
- 2 cups freshly cooked rice
Zucchini Topping
- 1/2 cup julienned zucchini
- 1/8 tsp salt (just a pinch)
Spinach Topping
- 1 bundle spinach (bundles vary, approx 3 oz of raw greens)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Additional Toppings (remember all toppings are modifiable)
- kongnamul muchim (prepared bean sprouts)
- pickled daikon
- fried eggs
- salted seaweed
Beef Topping (optional)
- 1/4 lb shaved beef (or finely cut)
- 1 TBSP soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar (optional) (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 TBSP sake
Bibimbap Sauce (optional)
- 2 TBSP gochujang
- 1 TBSP rice vinegar
- 2 tsp honey (or maple syrup or sugary syrup of choice)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
Prep Cooking Ingredients
- If you don't have it on hand already, start by cooking the rice. Bibimbap is best with freshly cooked rice.2 cups freshly cooked rice
- First sauté the vegetables. Starting with the zucchini, add 1-2 tsp of cooking oil (olive or avocado is my preference) and cook over medium heat until zucchini's color has become bright green and slightly wilted in texture. Add salt (and pepper if you like) to taste. Remove and set aside.1/2 cup julienned zucchini, 1/8 tsp salt (just a pinch)
- Next we cook the spinach. In the same pan, add another 2 tsp cooking oil and add in the minced garlic. Once fragrant, add the spinach and stir to coat. The spinach will wilt a LOT. Once wilted, drizzle sesame oil and sprinkle the salt. Toss to coat. Remove and set aside.1 bundle spinach, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp minced garlic
- Beef topping is last. Mix the seasoning ingredients in a separate bowl. In the same pan that you've been using, add in 2 tsp of cooking oil, then add the beef into the pan. Stir to cook evenly. Once most of the pink/red is out of the beef, add the seasoning sauce. Cook the beef in the seasoning sauce until the sauce is evaporated. Remove and set aside.1/4 lb shaved beef, 1 TBSP soy sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp sugar (optional), 1 TBSP sake
Assembly Time
- Coat 1 TBSP of sesame oil into an earthenware pot and turn on stove to medium heat. Line the bottom of the pot with the freshly cooked rice, using as much or as little as you prefer (I usually avg about 3/4 cup per person eating). Once the pot starts heating you'll start hearing sizzling sounds from the rice.
- Drizzle additional sesame oil overtop the rice.
- While rice is sizzling, start assembling the bibimbop. Places the various vegetables into different quadrants of the pot, making sure to leave room for the beef (if using). Top with salted shredded seaweed and place the fried egg on top (if using).1/8 tsp salt (just a pinch), kongnamul muchim (prepared bean sprouts), pickled daikon, fried eggs, salted seaweed
- Allow rice to sizzle for 5 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and serve in pot. Use a spoon to stir the grilled rice from the bottom. Try serving with homemade bibimbap sauce*.2 TBSP gochujang, 1 TBSP rice vinegar, 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp salt