Bibimbap is an optimal dinner if you have leftover banchan and meat from Korean BBQ nights or Kimbap, or if you just want a nice comforting bowl of rice and seasoned fixings. Learn how to make this traditional Korean rice dish that’s mixed with seasoned vegetables, savory proteins, steaming rice, and topped with a spicy gochujang sauce.
We’ll be making everything from scratch so you can get a better idea of how it’s done but you can substitute many of these ingredients with pre-made sides or leftovers in the future once you learn how its done!
What is bibimbap?
Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish that combines a simple mix of warm white rice with various toppings of seasoned vegetables, sauteed meat, and spicy condiments like gochujang sauce. In Korean, “bibim” means “mixing,” and bap translates to cooked rice. Many bibimbap dishes are served in hot stone bowls called dolsot, which gives the rice sizzling and extra crispy at the bottom of the dish. It’s the perfect bite of crunchiness.
While the exact origin of bibimbap is unknown, it has been eaten in Korean culture for centuries and has many variations. In general, it’s any dish that involves mixing cooked rice with leftover side dishes. For example, I’ve even seen Korean TikTokers make their version of bibimbap with leftover spicy, marinated squid, steamed rice, and Kewpie mayo.
Bibimbap vegetables
These days, you’ll find Korean restaurants typically serve bibimbap with seasoned vegetable side dishes:
- julienned carrots
- julienned zucchini
- sliced cucumber
- blanched bean sprouts
- blanched spinach
- sauteed bellflower root
- sauteed bracken fern stems
To make this recipe easier, I used vegetables you can easily find at any local grocery store. You can skip all the hard work and buy pre-made banchan at H-Mart or a Korean grocery store. Since I had no leftover veggies, I made them at home, which took a little more time and effort.
Protein options
There are no set rules so protein options can vary wildly. I’ve eaten bibimbap at Korean restaurants that served beef bulgogi (which I’ll make for this recipe) or even just ground beef. If you have dietary restrictions, you can also use fried tofu or seafood like spicy marinated crab.
Bulgogi marinade in this recipe
I make my bulgogi marinade from scratch with frozen, sliced beef (labeled for bulgogi from H-Mart), Asian pears, onions, garlic, ginger, and seasonings. However, you can also buy pre-marinated bulgogi (or other types of meat) from Korean grocery stores. They will be slightly pricier, but it saves time in the kitchen if you’re making a ton of other side dishes. Here’s my recipe for spicy pork bulgogi.
Bibimbap sauce
Bibimbap can be topped with other seasonings in addition to vegetables and protein. A simple condiment is roasted sesame oil or gochujang (a Korean pepper paste).
You can also make a fancier bibimbap sauce comprising roasted sesame oil, gochujang, honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and ginger powder. Here’s my recipe for gochujang sauce, which you can use for bibimbap and adjust the spice level, sweetness, tanginess, and saltiness based on your preferences. Note that this sauce is spicy.
Choosing a proper bibimbap bowl
Bibimbap is typically served in bowls, but the options vary. You can use a regular bowl, a hot stone bowl, or a ceramic bowl. You can buy these bowls at your local Korean grocery store, like H-Mart. I prefer using hot stone bowls, which are made of a stone similar to soapstone because they crisp up the rice. I recommend using a shallow and wide bowl to have more room for toppings and to make mixing easier.
Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl w/ Mixed Veg & Beef Bulgogi)
Ingredients
Bulgogi
- 1 lb beef brisket thinly shaved
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 medium Asian pear
- 1 tsp roasted sesame oil
- 1 inch fresh peeled ginger
- 8 cloves fresh garlic
- ¼ medium white onion
- 1 tbsp rice syrup
- 1 tbsp mirin
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- neutral cooking oil
Vegetables
- 6 c water plus more for rinsing
- 2 tbsp kosher salt plus more for seasoning, Diamond Crystal brand
- ice
Cucumber
- 1 medium Persian cucumber sliced thinly
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
Spinach
- 1 bunch spinach
- ¼ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- splash roasted sesame oil
Bean sprouts
- 2 c bean sprouts
- ½ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- splash roasted sesame oil
Mushrooms
- 2 c sliced brown mushrooms
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- splash roasted sesame oil
Carrot
- 1 medium carrot julienned
- ¼ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- splash roasted sesame oil
Zucchini
- 1 medium zucchini julienned
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- splash roasted sesame oil
Other
- 3 c rice cooked
- 3 large eggs fried
- neutral oil
- kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- gochujang sauce
- roasted sesame seeds optional topping
- roasted seaweed optional topping
Equipment Used
- measuring cups and spoons
- blender
- knife and cutting board
- pot for blanching
- saute pan
- cast iron
- dolsot, or regular bowls
- food storage container with lid
- tongs
- Strainer
- oven mitts
Instructions
- Cook the 3 c rice. Set aside until assembly.
Bulgogi
- In a blender, combine the marinade ingredients: 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 1 medium Asian pear, 8 cloves fresh garlic, 1 inch fresh peeled ginger, ¼ medium white onion, 1 tbsp rice syrup, 1 tbsp mirin, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Blend until it’s completely incorporated, and you don’t see chunks.
- In a food storage container, combine the marinade, 1 lb beef brisket, and 1 tsp roasted sesame oil. Mix until all the pieces are coated. Cover with lid and marinade for at least 20 minutes on the counter (or up to 4 hours in the fridge). Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to bring the temperature of the meat to room temp.
- In a cast-iron pan (or any pan) over medium-high heat, add the neutral cooking oil and marinated meat. Try not to crowd the meat, so cook multiple batches if necessary.
- Saute the meat for about 5-7 minutes or until the meat measures to 145°F. The meat should be caramelized with no liquid leftover. You may need to wipe the pan in between batches so the pan doesn’t burn with the marinade. Set the meat aside until we assemble the bowl.
Cucumbers
- In a small bowl, combine the thinly sliced 1 medium Persian cucumber and ¼ tsp kosher salt, tossing to evenly combine. Leave to sit for 15 minutes. Gently squeeze the cucumbers with your hands to remove excess water. Discard this water.
- Transfer back into the bowl and add the 1 tsp rice vinegar and mix. Set aside until assembly.
Spinach
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat and add salt. Stir to dissolve. Blanch the 1 bunch spinach in the boiling water for one minute, or until it wilts.
- Quickly transfer the spinach into a bowl of cold water and ice. Leave until the spinach is cool to the touch. Drain the spinach gently with your hands to remove all the excess water.
- Transfer the spinach to a bowl. Add the ¼ tsp kosher salt and splash roasted sesame oil. Mix to evenly coat. Set aside until assembly.
Beans sprouts
- Blanch the 2 c bean sprouts in the boiling water for about 5 minutes, or until they’re slightly softened.
- Quickly transfer the bean sprouts to a bowl of cold water and ice. Leave until the bean sprouts are cool to the touch. Strain the bean sprouts of excess water.
- Transfer the bean sprouts to a bowl. Add the ½ tsp kosher salt and splash roasted sesame oil. Mix to evenly coat. Set aside until assembly.
Mushrooms
- In a saute pan over medium heat, add the 1 tsp neutral oil and the 2 c sliced brown mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes or until they’re softened, stirring occasionally to prevent charring.
- Add ¼ tsp kosher salt the mushrooms and stir again. Here's how the the cooked mushrooms should look.
- Transfer to a bowl, add splash roasted sesame oil, and mix until combined. Set aside until assembly.
Carrots
- In the same pan, add 1 tsp neutral oil and the julienned 1 medium carrot. Saute the carrots for about 1-2 minutes or until softened. Add the ¼ tsp kosher salt and stir to combine.
- Add splash roasted sesame oil and a bit of salt, mix until combined. Remove from pan and set aside until assembly.
Zucchini
- In the same pan, add 1 tsp neutral oil and the 1 medium zucchini sticks. Saute the zucchini for about 30 seconds or until softened. Add the ¼ tsp kosher salt and stir to combine.
- Season zucchini with a splash roasted sesame oil, and mix until combined. Remove from pan and set aside until assembly.
Assembly
- Fry up the 3 large eggs. Sunny side up looks good and is a classic bibimbap option, but cook them however you prefer.
- Steps below will be for using a stone bowl, which we'll heat up. If you're using a regular bowl that cannot be heated over fire, follow the same steps below but you can omit brushing oil, and omit heating up the bowl to crisp rice.
- To assemble each dolsot (stone bowl), brush a splash of roasted sesame oil.
- Add a layer of rice at the bottom.
- Then add bulgogi, cucumbers, spinach, bean sprouts, mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini in a circle on top, with a fried egg in the center
- Place the dolsot over low heat for two minutes (or until the bowl is warm to the touch). Raise the meat to medium heat and wait for the rice to sizzle. Once you hear the rice sizzling, continue to cook for about 5-10 minutes.
- You can check for the rice crispiness by gently scraping a spoon until you can lift the rice and see if it’s browned at the bottom. Remove the dolsot with oven mitts.
- Sprinkle roasted seaweed, roasted sesame seeds, and drizzle on the gochujang sauce.
- Use a spoon to mix everything together and eat.
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