Bibimbap – Korean Mixed Rice
“Delicious Korean mixed rice with beef, vegetables, egg and hot pepper paste on top; an authentic bibimbap dish that catches the Pinoy taste.”
Bibimbap, Bulgogi, Gimbap, Jjamppong, Kimchi, Samgyeopsal, etc… are among the popular Korean dish that Filipinos are very fond of these days.
Korea has taken Philippines by storm with Koreanovelas playing in most network channels. Along with the fame of K-drama and K-pop come Korean foods that Filipinos are die-hard fans as well. There’s no doubt that Korea have captivated the taste buds of the Filipinos. In the Philippines, you would find Korean restaurants everywhere you go that offer authentic Korean dishes.
One of the most popular Korean dishes is the Bibimbap. You might have heard or taste it already! It consists of a bowl of rice topped with sautéed and seasoned vegetables, a bit of hot pepper paste (gochujang), egg and usually a bit of seasoned raw beef, too. But in this recipe we will cook the beef because we want our meat to be cooked through before eating it. Just to be safe.
what is bibimbap?
Bibim translates as “mixed,” and bap means “cooked rice,” so bibimbap literally means “mixed rice.” You’re supposed to mix everything together before eating it. When you eat it, you will experience the distinct flavors and crunchiness of all the ingredients, it’s so amazing!
Because of the popularity of Bibimbap, many variations are made on this dish, from simple to elaborated recipe. This recipe is what you could consider as classic bibimbap. If you ordered bibimbap in a Korean restaurant, you would probably get something close to this. They also prepare and serve it in heated stone or earthenware bowl called dolsot-bibimbap. “Dolsot” means “stone pot” in Korean, and this version is well-known for the way the bowl makes a layer of crispy, crackling rice on the bottom of the bibimbap. It tastes really good.
patience is a virtue
It really takes time to cook this dish. Although the dish may look simple yet each ingredients are carefully prepared to bring out their unique flavors, colors and textures. This is done so they would beautifully come together in the bowl and delectably in your mouth. They also balance and complement each other.
As I’ve mentioned, this recipe isn’t quick and easy and takes some time to make. But if you’re really in a hurry, you can make a great bibimbap using just the sprouts, spinach, carrot (or red bell pepper or both), gochujang, sesame oil, and an egg – those items cannot be skipped and are essential to make a flavorsome bibimbap.
tips on preparing bibimbap
You will find in the recipe below how to prepare all the ingredients carefully. But to summarize it here, we want our ingredients to be at least the same sizes and shapes so it will cook easily and look presentable when we arrange them together in the bowl.
Remove all excess water from the vegetables before cooking such as in the case of sprouts and spinach (after boiling/ draining), carrots, cucumber and zucchini as they secrete juices when you put salt in them.
Cook the vegetables according to color code (red after red, green after green etc.) so colors will not mixed with each other. You can use a kitchen roll or towel to clean up the pan after each sautéing.
You can buy toasted sesame seeds or you can toast them yourself. Using low heat put the sesame seeds in the pan and stirs continuously to prevent it from burning.
You need to soak the dried bellflower roots (doraji) in cold water, roughly about 8 to 10 hours or more. Massage it with salt and rinse it for a few times to remove the bitterness of the roots.
You can use the gochujang by itself or you can make the sauce as well if you want a slightly sweet and hot flavor.
You can serve it in a big regular bowl with all the ingredients cooked. Or using the traditional heated stone bowl (dolsot in Korea) with vegetables cooked and with raw beef and egg to make this dish look and taste more authentic.
where to get Korean ingredients in Abu dhabi
Since I am in UAE, it is difficult to find a Korean grocery store. I managed to find one however; it was a 30-minute drive from the city. I was happy that I can be able to make this Bibimbap and even bought a heated stone bowl to make this dish look and feel more Korean. I bought gochujang, doraji , seasoned seaweed and dolsot from Hanarum K-Mart Supermarket in Mussafah.
Make your bibimbap today at your home, your family and friends will definitely have a happy tummy!
Watch on Youtube: Bibimbap – Korean Mixed Rice
Bibimbap – Korean Mixed Rice Recipe
Equipment
- Hot stone or earthenware bowl called “dolsot” or wide regular bowl
- Chopping board and knife
- Cooking pot and wok pan
- Stirring spoon and tong
- Measuring spoons
- Strainer
Ingredients
Meat and marinade sauce
- 250 grams fresh lean beef, cut into thin strips/matchsticks
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown or white sugar or honey
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Vegetables and others
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 250 grams moong sprouts, washed and drained
- 100 grams spinach — I use baby spinach
- 1 large zucchini, sliced into matchsticks
- 1 large cucumber, cut into halves lengthwise and sliced thinly crosswise
- 1 large carrot, sliced into matchsticks
- 1 large red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into strips
- 100 grams mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 30 grams dried bellflower roots (doraji), soaked in coldwater for 10 to 12 hours
- 2 to 3 stalks green onions, chopped
- 4 medium eggs
- around 3 tablespoons salt, divided
- around 7 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided — to cook meat,vegetables and eggs
- 5 grams (1 pack) seasoned/ roasted seaweed, long thin cut
- around 4 and ½ teaspoons sesame oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, divided
- around 4 and ½ teaspoons minced garlic, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
Bibimbap sauce
- 2 tablespoons Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients:
- Rice. Cook rice before preparing and cooking other ingredients so it will be ready once the ingredients are all set to assemble.
- Beef. Cut the beef into thin strips and put them in a bowl. Mix the beef strips with the meat sauce and marinade for about 30 minutes to enhance the flavor. Cover and set aside before cooking.
- Sauce. Combine bibimbap sauce into a small mixing bowl. Set Aside.
- Moong sprouts. Wash and drain a few times and remove any green peels that are left-over. Spinach. Wash and drain for few times to remove any dirt. Zucchini. Cut the zucchini into matchsticks and mix with ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until sweating.Cucumber. Cut the cucumber into half lengthwise and slice thinly crosswise. Mix with ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until sweating. Carrots. Cut the carrot into matchsticks, put them in a bowl, and mix with a pinch of salt. Set aside and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until sweating. Red bell pepper. Cut the red bell pepper into half, deseed, and slice into strips. Put them in a bowl.Mushrooms. Wash them carefully and slice thinly. Spring onions. Wash them carefully and chopped. Seasoned seaweeds. Cut into long strips and set aside.
- Doraji. After soaking for 10 to 12 hours, drain and put the bellflower roots (doraji) in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Rub for a minute to wilt slightly and release some of the bitterness. Rinse them in cold water a couple of times and drain. If you find some roots are too thick, split them sideways.
Cook the ingredients:
- Beef. Add some cooking oil into the wok and cook the meat on medium high or high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes. Place on a clean bowl and set aside.
- Moong sprouts. Boil water in a pot and add 2 teaspoons salt. Put the soy bean sprouts in the pot once water boils and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium high heat. Take out the sprouts put them into a bowl. In the bowl, mix the sprouts by hand with ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 2 teaspoons sesame oil.
- Spinach. Boil the water in a pot and add 1 teaspoon salt. Once the water starts to boil, plunge the spinach into the pot and leave it for 30 seconds. Drain spinach and run with cold water for 1-2 minutes. Squeeze the spinach to remove excess water. Cut the spinach into 2-3 pieces with a knife. If you are using baby spinach, you can skip this step. In a bowl, mix by hand with 1 teaspoon green onion, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Zucchini. In a wok, heat around 2 teaspoons oil and squeeze out the excess water from the zucchini. Sauté zucchini with 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped green onion, ½ teaspoon sesame oil for 1 minute until slightly softened. Put on a clean bowl and wipe the pan. Set aside.
- Cucumber. Heat around 2 teaspoons oil in the wok and squeeze out the excess water from the cucumber. Sauté with ½ teaspoon minced garlic and ½ teaspoon sesame oil for 30 seconds. Put on a clean bowl and wipe the pan. Set aside.
- Carrots. Heat around 2 teaspoons oil and squeeze out the excess water from the carrot and sauté for about 1 minute. Put on a clean bowl and wipe the pan. Set aside.
- Red bell pepper. Heat around 2 teaspoons oil and add the red bell pepper. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and sauté for 30 seconds. Put on a clean bowl and wipe the pan. Set aside.
- Mushrooms. Heat around 2 teaspoons oil and sauté the mushrooms with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until soft. Put on a clean bowl and wipe the pan. Set aside.
- Doraji. Heat around 2 teaspoons oil. Using medium heat, add the bellflower roots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. Stir for another minute until a little softened. Put on a clean bowl and wipe the pan. Set aside.
- Eggs. If you preferred your eggs to be cooked make a sunny side up.
Assemble the bibimbap:
Using a regular bowl
- Divide the cooked rice into 4 portions. Each portion will be 1 cup of rice.
- Put the rice in each of 4 bowls and assemble the vegetables (alternate colors) and beef on top of the rice.
- Finish each serving with 2 teaspoons hot pepper paste (gochujang)/ bibimbap sauce and sunny side up on top of the vegetables.
- Sprinkle bibimbap with green onions and sesame seeds for added flavor.
- Serve right away with more gochujang/ sauce on the side.
- Mix the ingredients well in the bowl and enjoy!
Using Dolsot stone or earthenware bowl
- Put a few drops of toasted sesame oil in the bottom of each of 4 earthenware bowls.
- Divide the rice among the bowls, about 1 cup and assemble the vegetables (alternate colors) and beef on top of the rice.
- Set each pot on a burner. Heat over medium high heat until you hear crackling sounds coming from the rice.
- Finish each serving with 2 teaspoons hot pepper paste (gochujang)/ bibimbap sauce and an egg. Note: If you prefer your eggs and beef raw, you can skip cooking the eggs and beef.
- Sprinkle bibimbap with green onions and sesame seeds for added flavor.
- Serve right away with more gochujang/ sauce on the side.
- Mix the ingredients well in the bowl and enjoy!
