Easy and Healthy Bibimbap

I love Bibimbap, a super popular Korean dish. It’s made of a bowl of rice, sautéed and seasoned vegetables, gochujang sauce and seasoned meat.

Bibim (비빔) translates as “mixed,” and bap (밥) means “cooked rice,” so bibimbap literally means “mixed rice.” Before eating it you’re supposed to mix everything all together.

In Korean, this dish is traditionally served in a stone bowl that was previously heated. This makes the rice and fillings sizzle when they are placed in the bowl. In this recipe, I’ve just used pasta bowls here and only use 5 topping (spinach, cucumber, carrots, mushroom, and ground turkey), please feel free to mix it up or use as many toppings as you like (other common toppings: kimchi, shiitake mushrooms, soy bean sprouts, Gosari (fern brake), bell flower roots (doraji).

The most authentic version of bibimbap is served with a raw egg yolk and gochugang (Korean Chili Paste). You can buy the Gochugang Sauce in any korean market. But I made my own, check out my recipe here.

Prepare and cook the ingredients for bibimbap. Even though we mix up bibimbap before we eat it, each ingredient needs to be prepared with care and individuality, bringing out their unique flavors, textures and colors so they come together beautifully in the bowl and deliciously in your mouth.

Heat up the pan over medium high heat. Add a few drops of cooking oil to the pan and sauté the carrot for 3-5 minutes. Clean the pan with wet paper towel or wash it.

Heat a few drops of cooking oil in the pan and squeeze out excess water from the cucumber (or zucchini). Sauté the cucumber (zucchini) for 3-5 minutes. Clean the pan again.

Heat up the pan. Add a few drops of cooking oil and sauté the mushroom for 3-5 minutes.

All vegetables are prepared and ready to use.

Place a serving of rice in a big bowl. Nicely arrange a small amount of each prepared vegetables and meat over the rice. Drizzle a little sesame oil over. Top with an egg. Serve with Bibimbap sauce.

Gently but firmly mix everything together in the bowl with your spoon.

Enjoy !!

Recipe adapted from My Korean Kitchen. 

Learn how to make Spicy Gochujang Sauce. If you like this recipe, please head over to my Facebook Page and Instagram Feed. 

Easy And Healthy Bibimbap

Korean mixed rice with meat and assorted vegetables

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Korean

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

MEAT AND MEAT SAUCE

• 100 g ground meat (I used ground turkey)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or minced garlic)

BIBIMBAP SAUCE

• 2 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp sesama seeds, roasted
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder (or minced garlic)

VEGETABLES AND OTHER

• 1 cup spinach, blanched and squeezed out excess water, seasoned
• 1 large carrots
• 1 large cucumber (or zucchini)
• 1 cup mushroom, cooked
• 1 cup rice, cooked
• 4 eggs

Instructions

 

• Rice: Cook the rice in a rice cooker or following package directions, using a little less water than called for. The rice for bibimbap should be a little drier than usual for best results.
• Meat: Mix the meat with the meat sauce. Marinate the meat for about 30 minutes while you are working on other ingredients to enhance the flavour. Add some cooking oil into the pan and cook the meat on medium high to high heat. It takes about 5 mins to thoroughly cook it.
• Sauce: Mix the Bibimbap sauce in a bowl.
• Spinach: Blanch the spinach in salted boiling water only until wilted, 30-40 seconds. Drain quickly and shock in cold water. Squeeze out excess water. Cut into 3-inch lengths. Toss with 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds, 1 tbsp sesame oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Carrots: Cut the carrots into matchsticks. Add some cooking oil in the pan. Sauté the carrots for 3 to 5 minutes over medium high to high heat, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste.
• Cucumbers: Cut the cucumbers into matchsticks. Add some cooking oil in a pan. Sauté the cucumbers for 3 to 5 minutes over medium high to high heat, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste.
• Mushroom: Add some cooking oil in a wok. Sauté the mushroom to 5 minutes over medium high to high heat, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste.
• Eggs: Make fried eggs.
• Assemble: Place a serving of rice in a big bowl. Nicely arrange a small amount of each prepared vegetables and meat over the rice. Drizzle a little sesame oil over. Top with an egg. Serve with Bibimbap sauce.
• Mix all the ingredients well in the bowl and enjoy.

Notes

Other common toppings for bibimbap include shiitake mushrooms (slices and sautéed), soy bean sprouts, Gosari (fern brake), Kimchi, bell flower roots (doraji – soaked and sautéed).