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Bibimbap
A rainbow bowl of seasoned vegetables, marinated beef, and a fried egg over hot rice. Mix it all together with gochujang and every bite is different.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Bibimbap, in 5 ideas
- Season every vegetable separately. A pinch of salt and a drop of sesame oil on each one. This is what makes bibimbap taste layered instead of flat.
- Squeeze the spinach bone dry. Any water left in it will puddle in the bowl and steam the crispy rice. Wring it out in a clean towel.
- No stone bowl, no problem. A screaming hot cast iron skillet gives you the same crispy bottom. Just assemble and serve right in the pan.
- Gochujang goes on at the table. Start with a tablespoon and add more. It is the heat, the sweetness, and the funk all in one.
- Short-grain rice only. Long-grain will not crisp or clump properly. The sticky texture is what holds the bowl together.
What you need
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked short-grain rice, kept hot
- 8 oz ribeye or sirloin, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced (or 4 oz fresh)
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- Salt, to taste
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
How to make it
Directions
- Toss the beef with the soy sauce, sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and half the garlic. Set aside to marinate while you prep the vegetables.
- Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, then plunge into ice water. Squeeze completely dry and toss with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of sesame oil.
- Saute the carrot matchsticks in a hot oiled pan for 2 minutes until just tender. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside. Repeat with the bean sprouts (1 minute) and the shiitake (3 minutes until golden).
- Sear the beef in the same hot pan for 2 to 3 minutes until browned at the edges and cooked through. Set aside.
- Fry the eggs sunny-side up in a little oil until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.
- If using stone bowls (dolsot), heat them over high heat with a drizzle of sesame oil until smoking. Add hot rice to each bowl, pressing it down so the bottom crisps.
- Arrange the vegetables and beef in colorful sections over the rice. Top each bowl with a fried egg.
- Serve with gochujang on the side, a drizzle of sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Mix everything together at the table before eating.
The crispy rice is the whole point of the stone bowl. Let the bowl sit undisturbed for 2 minutes after assembling so the bottom forms a golden crust. You will hear it crackling.