Bibimbap (Korean Mixed Rice Bowl)

  • Total time - 60 minutes
  • Preparation - 30 minutes
  • Cooking time - 30 minutes
  • Servings: 4
  • Country: Korea
A rich, colorful bowl of Bibimbap with a fried egg on top.

Preparing Bibimbap can seem challenging due to the number of ingredients, but in reality, it's quite simple. The key is to have all the components ready in advance. You can use any vegetables you like and even omit the meat for a vegetarian version.

Ingredients

For the Bibimbap Bowl

  • 2 cups short-grain rice
  • 300 g beef (e.g., sirloin), thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 2 pieces carrots, cut into thin strips
  • 100 g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 piece cucumber, cut into strips
  • 4 pieces eggs

For the Meat Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

For the Gochujang Sauce

  • 4 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste)
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the rice and vegetables

Cook the rice according to package directions. Prepare the vegetables: sauté the spinach and mushrooms in a little sesame oil. Cut the carrots and cucumber into thin strips and add a pinch of salt. Set all vegetables aside separately.

Step 2: Prepare the meat and sauce

Marinate the beef slices in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, minced garlic, and sesame oil for 10-15 minutes. Stir-fry the beef in a pan. In a small bowl, mix together the gochujang, sesame oil, sugar, and rice wine vinegar.

Step 3: Assemble and arrange

Place a portion of the cooked rice at the bottom of a large bowl. Artfully arrange the prepared vegetables and meat around the center, keeping each ingredient in a separate section to create a colorful mosaic.

Step 4: Finish and serve

Place a fried egg (or a raw egg yolk) in the center of the bowl. Add a generous spoonful of the gochujang sauce on top. Before eating, thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.